NBA Responds to U.S. Senators’ Letter About Rwanda Dictator

The NBA has responded to two U.S. senators’ letter, signed by Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and addressed to league commissioner Adam Silver, about its business relationship with Rwanda.

NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said the league follows the lead of the U.S. government

In a letter addressed to Blackburn and Merkley, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum described how the league has advocated multiple social impact initiatives in the country.

The U.S. senators accused the NBA of “putting profit over principle” for partnering with Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame. Per ESPN’s Mark Fainaru-Wada, Tatum also defended the league, adding it follows “the lead of the U.S. government as to where it’s appropriate to engage in business around the world.”

“If American policies were to change regarding business activities in and relating to Rwanda or any other BAL market, our actions would of course change accordingly,” Tatum said in the letter.

The NBA’s Basketball Africa League is closely aligned with Kagame and the Rwandan government. Kagame’s administration has been accused of widespread human rights violations.

In the letter, Tatum wrote that the NBA is “raising awareness of gender-based violence,” according to Fainaru-Wada. The league supports girls’ education and encourages participation in basketball at all levels.

Rwanda has benefited from the Basketball Africa League

Additionally, Tatum said the league’s presence in Africa has helped to generate more employment and economic opportunities. While the NBA has helped Rwanda economically, the league has also been very selective in addressing human rights violations.

The U.S. senators’ letter described how the NBA “has long positioned itself as a beacon of social justice.” However, it has continued “developing relationships with dictators and despots,” such as Kagame.

Blackburn and Merkley also added, “Anyone who dares to question Kagame’s rule — whether it be opposition candidates or the free press — is jailed, disappeared or brutally murdered.”

The U.S. State Department repeatedly has cited several reports that Kagame’s government is responsible for human rights violations. Violated rights include the imprisonment, torture, and murder of political opponents. The administration also funded child soldiers in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Every market poses different challenges, and we are always mindful of those differences in the more than 200 countries and territories where we operate,” Tatum wrote in his response to Blackburn and Merkley.

Each violation of the annual human rights reports dates back to 2000, Kagame’s first year as president.