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.

Michigan childcare provider collected $1.1M in taxpayer funds despite no visible signs of operating

Clinton judge gives anti-ICE agitator no prison time for assaulting federal officers in Minneapolis

Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair kicks off 16-day festival on National Mall: ‘America come to life’

Trump Media battles Brazilian government in novel censorship case

DOJ threatens to sue California over ‘Glock ban,’ arguing law violates Second Amendment

Former New Jersey middle school teacher indicted on new charges including manufacturing child abuse material

Closed-door outburst turns into victory for Trump’s Iran negotiations

‘America is back’: Trump kicks off Great American State Fair with flyovers, patriotic National Mall speech

Trump administration says federal authorities have arrested more than 10,000 suspected gang members

Body believed to be Kansas City highway shooting suspect found in burned home’s basement by family: police

Pennsylvania mother’s video captures armed intruder holding her toddler as she begs for child’s release

‘High casualties’ feared after two powerful earthquakes rock Venezuela: USGS

Sean Hannity Issues Explanation After Viewers Express Concern About His On-Air Appearance

DHS puts ‘sanctuary politicians’ on notice after alleged park predator was released under Biden

Tempers Flare and Voices Are Raised as Trump and Senate Republican Go Toe-to-Toe in Closed Door Meeting

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.”