Senator presses NBA exec about league's 'cozy relationship' with China: 'American people deserve transparency'

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., pressed NBA enforcement Bill Koenig Tuesday astir the league’s ties to China, a highly debated taxable for immoderate time. 

Representatives from astir of the large nonrecreational sports leagues were astatine the Capitol Tuesday to sermon media rights, broadcasting and streaming services crossed the industry.

During the hearing, Blackburn posed a fewer questions to Koenig, the NBA’s president of planetary contented & media distribution, specifically astir however the league has dealt with China successful caller years. 

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., arrives to a Senate Judiciary Committee concern gathering astatine the Dirksen Senate Office Building Feb. 13, 2025, successful Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Blackburn began with immoderate inheritance connected the situation.

"I’ve, done the years, looked astatine the NBA’s narration with oppressive regimes astir the globe," Blackburn said. "And, of course, you each person had rather a cozy narration with the CCP, and we cognize however they censor. 

MARK CUBAN DEFENDS NBA'S CHINA PARTNERSHIP DESPITE OPPOSING ‘CHINESE AND ALL HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS’

"Going backmost to 2019, with Daryl Morey’s tweet successful enactment of the Hong Kong state fighters, and that resulted successful the suspension [of] the NBA broadcast connected their state-run media channels. In caller years, it appears you each person patched that narration up, which means determination had to beryllium immoderate benignant of woody that was determination and indispensable person been rather a deal."

Morey, who was the Houston Rockets' wide manager astatine the time, fired disconnected a tweet that said, "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong," successful October 2019. That tweet was successful enactment of pro-democracy protests happening successful the communist state. 

China responded by announcing the NBA’s preseason games that were expected to beryllium played successful Shanghai astatine the clip would not beryllium televised. Then, it extended that suspension for astir a afloat twelvemonth earlier putting the NBA backmost connected its state-run tv during the 2020 NBA Finals. 

After suggesting the NBA and China had to travel to a woody to get their narration backmost connected track, Blackburn pressed Koenig for the details.

"So, since we’re talking astir broadcast rights and what they’re worth, wherefore don’t you archer maine what the broadcast rights successful China are worth, and however overmuch NBA owners person invested successful China," she said.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., questions Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a Senate Finance Committee proceeding astir President Joe Biden's projected fund petition for fiscal twelvemonth 2024 Thursday, March 16, 2023, connected Capitol Hill successful Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

"The NBA does person a precise agelong past of distributing our games and contented successful China for much than 30 years," Koenig responded, but that wasn’t capable for Blackburn.

"I’m not asking astir the magnitude of clip you’ve been successful China. I’m asking what are the media rights worth? You’re the president of planetary contented and media distribution. So, what are those rights worth, and however overmuch person the NBA owners invested successful China?"

Koenig responded, "The NBA does not remark publically connected the fiscal presumption of our narration — U.S. oregon abroad. But I tin remark that you are close that, successful airy of the tweet that Daryl Morey made successful 2019 …"

"You had to chopped a deal," Blackburn replied, but Koenig said the league did not. 

"The estimates are these media rights are worthy hundreds of millions of dollars to you all, and that NBA squad owners person invested arsenic overmuch arsenic $10 cardinal dollars [in China]. I deliberation immoderate clarity into those numbers would beryllium important," Blackburn added.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks astatine a property league earlier an NBA In-Season Tournament Finals crippled betwixt the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers astatine the T-Mobile Arena successful Las Vegas Dec. 9, 2023.  (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"The different happening that we look astatine is quality rights and we look astatine however the NBA has punished players who person spoken retired against quality rights abusers successful China. Enes Kanter Freedom, 1 specifically. So, tin you perpetrate to maine that successful each woody the NBA makes astir the globe that the league is upholding quality rights, and that the league is upholding state of speech, and they’re upholding the American ideals of freedom?"

Koenig replied by saying "one of the NBA’s astir important values is state of speech."

"In fact, the illustration you cited earlier — Daryl Morey. He was not disciplined oregon censored successful immoderate mode successful airy of the comments that helium made," Koenig added. "You’re right. That remark whitethorn person led to deficiency of sum by CCTV and different things. But, no, we precise overmuch worth state of speech, and that’s thing I tin confirm."

Since the NBA mended its narration with China, Commissioner Adam Silver has stated the league volition look into playing games determination again. 

"I deliberation we volition bring games backmost to China astatine immoderate point," helium said successful October. "China's authorities took america disconnected the aerial for a play of time. We accepted that. We stood by our values. ... Anybody successful our league has the close to talk retired connected governmental matters."

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., questions Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's prime to beryllium the caput of Health and Human Services, arsenic helium testifies earlier the Senate Finance Committee Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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Silver besides said successful 2020 the NBA experienced "dramatic" fiscal losses owed to firm sponsors fleeing, among different factors, aft its narration with China soured. 

In 2022, an ESPN probe recovered NBA owners had invested a combined $10 cardinal successful China, which included an proprietor whose institution had a associated task with an entity sanctioned by the U.S. government. 

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