{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2024/8/issues/national-security/blackburn-merkley-call-out-nba-commissioner-for-deepening-relationship-with-rwanda-putting-profit-over-principle", "Blackburn, Merkley Call Out NBA Commissioner for Deepening Relationship with Rwanda: \u2018Putting Profit Over Principle\u2019", "2024-08-27", "2024", "2024-08", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Marsha Blackburn", "B001243", "www.blackburn.senate.gov", "blackburn", "https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0", "scraper", "NASHVILLE, Tenn. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oreg.) sent a letter to National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver calling out the NBA\u2019s deepening engagement with Rwandan President Paul Kagame who has a demonstrated record of human rights abuses. The letter also expresses concern about the league\u2019s engagement with Chinese Communist Party officials.\n\nAs of 2021, NBA\u2019s Business in Africa Was Valued at Nearly $1 Billion\n\n\u201cWe write to express deep concern about the National Basketball Association (NBA)\u2019s deepening relationship with Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. It seems that the NBA\u2014which has long positioned itself as a beacon of social justice\u2014is choosing to continue developing relationships with dictators and despots, all in the name of putting profit over principle. Reporting indicates that the League\u2019s relationship with President Kagame began in 2018, as you \u2018shot free throws\u2019 with the President in Kigali. The NBA then gave President Kagame the advice and support he needed to build a massive new $104 million arena to establish the Basketball Africa League (BAL), expanding the NBA\u2019s presence on the continent. Indeed, the NBA\u2019s business in Africa was valued at almost $1 billion as of 2021.\u201d\n\nRwandan President\u2019s Government Has Long History of Brutality and Abuse\n\n\u201cThe NBA has hosted President Kagame in Toronto, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Oakland, and at various other NBA sponsored events across North America, treating him like a friend and dignitary. The league profits from this relationship, but at what cost? President Kagame has ruled Rwanda for over 20 years with impunity. Freedom of expression and internet freedom is extremely limited in the country. Anyone who dares to question Kagame\u2019s rule\u2014whether it be opposition candidates or the free press\u2014is jailed, disappeared, or brutally assassinated. President Kagame\u2019s government has also allegedly provided military support to M23, a rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has caused tens of thousands of Congolese people to flee their homes in fear. This group has been accused of horrific abuses, including recruiting child soldiers, using rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war, and torturing civilians.\u201d\n\nPlaying Ball with Dictators Should Not Be the NBA\u2019s Business Model\n\n\u201cThe Rwandan government is known for murdering, kidnapping, and intimidating dissidents living overseas, including those in the United States. The NBA should not remain silent as Kagame exports his authoritarianism. Our concern about the NBA\u2019s business relationship with a government with a demonstrated record of human rights abuses and repressive behavior is not limited to Rwanda. The league\u2019s activities in China, engagement with Chinese Communist Party officials, and policies on products made with forced labor remain troubling\u2026 Playing ball with dictators and brutal regimes should not be the NBA\u2019s business model. Instead, the league should use its influence to advocate for governance reforms, including respect for the rule of law.\u201d\n\nRELATED\n\nNBA Confirms it is Continuing to Cozy up with Communist China\n\nClick here to view the full letter.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:36:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2024/8/issues/national-security/blackburn-merkley-call-out-nba-commissioner-for-deepening-relationship-with-rwanda-putting-profit-over-principle"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2937439605593681, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}