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.

Hollywood Star Arrested, Charged After Altercation: ‘Held Down Until Police Arrived’

NYC Board of Elections worker says ‘not my job to report anyone’ when asked about registering non-citizens

Gun store owner says FBI asked him to check firearm sales against list of names, pics in Guthrie case

Mike Lee calls Schumer’s ‘Jim Crow 2.0’ attack on voter ID bill ‘paranoid fantasy’

Palestinian activist accused of expressing desire to ‘kill Jews’ wins deportation case

Air Force One scraps iconic Kennedy-era paint scheme for Trump-approved red, white, blue design

Inside world’s top science society’s convention bashing Trump, pushing DEI, pronouns: ‘Felt like a funeral’

How did Jeffrey Epstein get rich? Meet Les Wexner, the ex-Victoria’s Secret CEO who once worked with him

Mistrial declared in Texas ICE detention center ambush trial over defense lawyer’s T-shirt

Firebrand conservatives set to duke it out in GOP Texas AG debate

Remembering Rush Limbaugh, Five Years to the Day After His Passing

Genetic genealogy that caught notorious killers now used in Nancy Guthrie case

ALERT: Gunman Arrested at Capitol Today – Carrying Loaded Shotgun, Wearing Tactical Vest

Dem governor’s ‘dangerous’ anti-ICE law ignites backlash after alleged box cutter attack by illegal alien

‘Giving judicial saboteurs new tools’: Conservatives slam new ethics guidance for federal judges

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.”