Ted Cruz, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Demand NBA to Suspend China Activities Over Boycott

Washington (AFP) – A bipartisan set of US lawmakers urged the NBA on Wednesday to suspend all activities in China until Chinese firms and broadcasters end their boycott of the league and the Houston Rockets.

The open letter to NBA commissioner Adam Silver came from eight US lawmakers as politically diverse as Ted Cruz of Texas and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York, both from states with multiple NBA teams.

“You have more power to take a stand than most of the Chinese government’s targets and should have the courage and integrity to use it,” the letter said.

“It’s not unreasonable to expect American companies to put our fundamental democratic rights ahead of profit.”

The letter comes in the wake of a since-deleted tweet from Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters.

That prompted the Chinese government to end sponsorships for the team and league and drop planned NBA telecasts in China, huge NBA logos and banner being stripped off buildings a sign of the anger.

Trump vows US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela as he reveals if he’s spoken to Delcy Rodríguez

Maduro and ‘Lady Macbeth’ Cilia Flores marriage spells ‘worst case’ custody scenario

Pilot dies alongside 3 nieces on wedding day in tragic Arizona helicopter crash

Off-duty deputy shot and killed while working security job in Texas, suspect apprehended

Trump and Musk share ‘lovely dinner’ at Mar-a-Lago after public feuding

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s narco case echoes US history of targeting alleged foreign drug kingpins

The Obama, Biden War on Coal Created an Energy Crisis: Trump’s Policies Are Already Fixing it

Trump issues direct warning to Venezuela’s new leader Delcy Rodríguez following Maduro capture

Now That’s a Low Blow: MTG Accuses Trump of Being a Fake Christian

Dems Push Beth Macy as the Liberal Answer to JD Vance, Say She’s ‘What Vance Could Have Been’

Bible Sales Skyrocket in 2025, Massive Spike Following Charlie Kirk’s Murder

American jailed for billionaire’s Monaco death, plot to kill wife exposed in long con, expert says

CNN Analyst: JD Vance Is Dominating the 2028 GOP Field and It’s Not Even Close

Venezuela still owes US energy companies billions as Trump calls for new investment

Elected Democrat Busted Breaking Into a Car, Charged with Burglary

After early NBA statements were seen as overly capitulating, Silver said, “I understand there are consequences from … his freedom of speech. We will have to live with those consequences. As a league, we’re not willing to compromise those values.”

The full cost might not be known for months, with the NBA having made lucrative deals to a nation of 1.4 billion that loves basketball. But the lawmakers demanded values win over profits.

“Equivocating when profits are at stake is a betrayal of fundamental American values,” the lawmakers wrote. “That you have more potential fans in China than in Hong Kong is no excuse for bending over backwards to express ‘sensitivity’ only to one side.”

Lawmakers urged Silver to take four steps to harden the NBA’s stance against China’s retaliatory moves, most notably shutting down NBA activities in China, where two pre-season exhibition games were slated to be played.

“The NBA should have anticipated the challenges of doing business in a country run by a repressive single party government, including by being prepared to stand in strong defense of the freedom of expression of its employees, players, and affiliates across the globe,” the lawmakers wrote.

They also pushed for an end to punishments to the Rockets, saying the NBA must be united against “future efforts by Chinese government-controlled entities to single out individual teams, players, or associates for boycotts or selective treatment.”