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.

Lindsay Clancy juror denies bias allegations, wants ‘conversation started’ about women’s mental health

Construction rig collapses on 3 cars in Miami, traps workers as fire erupts

Jimmy Kimmel Faces Eye-Popping Budget Cuts to Keep Show Alive as He Learns Americans Just Don’t Care About Him Anymore

Protester confronts Vance during Kansas rally for Sen. Roger Marshall

Democrat Al Green to force House-wide vote on impeaching Trump

Reporter’s Notebook: Congress meets AI as fears of human extinction jolt Capitol Hill

Swedish Left projected for narrow victory in national elections, but pathway to governing coalition unclear

Air Force Officer Shot Down Over Iran Tells ’60 Minutes’ Prayer Got Him Through Harrowing Ordeal: ‘Lord, Your Will Be Done’

Hayden Panettiere Reportedly Died After Ingesting a Single Fentanyl-Laced Pill

Far-left attack backfires spectacularly as radical online personality whines after attacking female Trump aide

Inside House Republicans’ plan to end run Dem opposition and pass Trump-backed voter ID

CrowdFunder for Clancy Holdout Juror Shoots Past $100k After FL Gov. DeSantis Offers ‘Asylum’ as ID Leak Nears

Lindsay Clancy juror says panel saw case as chance to ‘make it better for other women’

Your Mortgage, Investments, and Interest Rates Are About to Be Hit – Japan’s Debt Market Is Why

Alaska teen rescued after 3 days in frigid waters reveals tragic end for 2 family members

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.”