The NBA and its vocal urging of its players to speak out against injustice as protests continue across the country makes the league’s acquiescence to China look even worse than it did during last year’s Hong Kong protests.
NBA star LeBron James joined in the pile-on of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees over the latter’s benign comments defending standing for the national anthem. James, defending Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling, said that he knows “what’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong.”
men who fought as well for this country. I asked him question about it and thank him all the time for his commitement. He never found Kap peaceful protest offensive because he and I both know what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong! God bless you. ??✊??
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 3, 2020
If you think this means James will finally speak out against the authoritarian Chinese government, don’t waste your time. When Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey voiced his support for Hong Kong protesters last year, James bashed him as “misinformed or not really educated on the situation.” As China has forced up to 2 million Uighur Muslims into “re-education” camps since 2017, and has now focused its efforts on finally crushing Hong Kong’s independence, James has remained silent.
James, of course, has major financial ties to China. His lifelong deal with Nike, projected to be worth over $1 billion, relies heavily on the company’s multibillion-dollar access to the Chinese market. James also is counting on the Chinese market to rake in the cash for his Space Jam sequel.
The NBA, of course, is no better. After the controversy began, the NBA began expelling fans from arenas for signs that were pro-Hong Kong or drew attention to China’s treatment of the Uighurs. The NBA salary cap rests in part on the revenue it brings in from China, which is conservatively estimated to be at $500 million. The NBA’s largest foreign partnership is with China’s Tencent, a five-year exclusive digital deal worth $1.5 billion. Several NBA players have their own endorsement deals with Chinese apparel companies.
Before the coronavirus, the NBA’s television ratings were set to fall for the second straight year, after the league hit a plateau leveling off around 2015-2016. The novel coronavirus, spread to the world by Chinese lies and incompetence, threw the NBA out of commission in March, another financial blow to the league.
With nothing to do but tweet, the NBA and its stars like James have come out strong against anybody who offers the most tepid criticisms of the ongoing George Floyd protests. But at the end of the day, they’ll run right back into China’s arms, because even the most widespread and horrific injustices can be forgotten for keeping the NBA’s cash flow alive.
