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.

Senator launches assault on illegal immigration gaps as GOP races midterm clock to lock in key wins

EXCLUSIVE: 5-time illegal entrant admits ‘mistake’ that finally got him busted by ICE

Missing New York grandmother found dead near Las Vegas airport after mysterious Bitcoin texts

Trump to honor Artemis II astronauts who traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history

Trump fires back after protester interrupts Myrtle Beach rally for Graham: ‘Mom is voting for us’

More Westerners Waking up to Islam as Gov’t Bans Face Coverings, Leaving Both Muslims and (Ironically) Feminists Angry

Trump rally security ejects protester wearing ‘kill your local pedophile’ shirt

Candace Cameron Bure Tears Up on Air Over Constant Criticism, But God Provided a Literally Perfect Smile Through the Pain

Fauci’s lawyers launch legal defense fund as federal, state investigations mount against him

‘Escalating Pressures’ from the FCC Have Impacted ‘The View’s’ Guest List: Disney Lawsuit

Late-night bull run ends with a little cowboy know-how on busy California highway

They Never Learn: NYT Ordered to Pay $9 Million After Falsely Linking Innocent Student to 2023 Murder

New Jersey mother allegedly drunk when boat hit channel marker on Memorial Day, killing her son

Texas Gov Abbott asks the Justice Department to investigate ‘discriminatory’ Islamic washing stations

DOJ says Rubio should have final say over Foreign Service board in latest bid to tighten executive powers

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.”