Opinion | The NBA needs to be honest with itself
The league’s history with NBA China is unacceptable, particularly considering the findings of a recent ESPN investigation.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talks during events at NBA All-Star weekend on Feb. 15, 2020, at the United Center in Chicago. Silver said Wednesday that the NBA protocols are working, as no coronavirus tests on players have returned positive results over the last nine days. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS)
August 5, 2020
Peace, Justice, Freedom, and Equality are some of the phrases that the NBA is letting its players put on their jerseys during the restart of the 2019-20 season.
Though what the NBA’s doing is undoubtedly good, there’s hypocrisy in it based on the league’s relationship with NBA China.
An ESPN investigation found that the NBA has been complicit in human rights abuses in China. The league won’t comment on it.
According to ESPN, in 2016, the NBA started multiple academy programs in China in hopes of finding the next Yao Ming, a former NBA player from the country. One of those academies was in Xinjiang, which ESPN referred to as a police state where over a million Uighur Muslims are being held in camps.
The NBA recently shut down that academy, but the league never said that human rights issues were a factor. There are other academies in the country still running, which are housed in facilities owned by the Chinese government.
From the program that predated the academies until now, there have been abuses, according to ESPN, within NBA China, such as Chinese coaches physically abusing players and players not attending school, which the NBA hasn’t taken seriously.
According to ESPN, one American coach who worked for the NBA in China described the project as “a sweat camp for athletes.” At least two coaches left their positions in response to what was believed to be mistreatment of young players.
It’s unacceptable that the NBA is profiting from that abuse, though that number is going down since the country isn’t broadcasting NBA games anymore after the Houston Rockets’ General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of the Hong Kong protests.
But it’s more unacceptable that the NBA is acting naïve toward what’s happening in China, which is the exact opposite of what the NBA is standing for in a heated political time in the United States.
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The league refusing to acknowledge the situation in China is a major issue. A former league employee described the Xinjiang region to ESPN as a “World War II Germany,” so it shouldn’t be difficult for commissioner Adam Silver to condemn that behavior.
Yet, apparently finding the next Yao Ming trumps human rights abuses, so the NBA isn’t commenting.
Team owners are another part of the part of the problem. A couple weeks ago, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, had a Twitter war, and Cuban failed to condemn the detention of the Uighur Muslims when asked by Cruz.
The NBA is sensitive toward its bank account, and owners probably don’t feel comfortable criticizing an issue that most Americans would decry.
And then there are the players and coaches. The face of the league, Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James, criticized Morey, saying he was “misinformed.”
James’s quotes in the story make him seem misinformed himself and oblivious to the situation in China, basing his views of the country off how well he’s been treated there.
Coaches haven’t done better, but there’s a bit of hope. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he would have backed up Morey given a second chance and have a conversation with him.
Not a wave of support, but it’s a start.
The NBA needs to be honest with itself and acknowledge the behavior it has allowed to take place.
Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.
