NBA rejects US Senators’ calls to end partnership with Rwanda

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has reaffirmed its partnership with Rwanda, dismissing calls from two US senators for the basketball governing body to end its cooperation with the East African nation.

NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum communicated the league’s position in a letter responding to concerns raised by Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who had urged the organisation to reconsider its relationship with Rwanda.

The senators argued that the NBA’s continued commercial relationship with Rwanda was inconsistent with changing US foreign policy towards Kigali.

In their October 26, 2026 letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Merkley and Blackburn warned that the league risked becoming complicit in what they described as sportswashing — using sporting partnerships and events to improve a country’s international image while diverting attention from alleged human rights abuses.

However, Tatum’s response indicated that the NBA would continue assessing its activities in line with US government policy rather than announce an end to its wider relationship with Rwanda.

According to ESPN, Tatum emphasised that the NBA operates internationally in accordance with American government policies and condemns human rights violations wherever they occur.

“Our mission is to inspire and connect people through basketball, both in the United States and more than 200 other countries and territories around the world where we engage with our fans,” Tatum wrote.

He added that the league’s international business activities are not governed by a single approach, but are determined by US policy and the circumstances in each country.

The NBA also pointed to measures it had already taken following US sanctions imposed on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) in March 2026.

Tatum said APR Basketball Club, which is associated with Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence, had been withdrawn from the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season.

He further stated that APR would remain ineligible to compete in the BAL for as long as the relevant US sanctions remain in force.

However, Tatum did not announce any decision to terminate the NBA’s broader partnership with Rwanda.

Instead, he maintained that the league would continue adjusting its operations whenever changes in US policy required it.

“Going forward, we will continue to adjust to changed circumstances as U.S. policy requires,” he stated.

Rwanda has maintained a close relationship with the NBA through the Basketball Africa League, a continental competition established in partnership with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and launched in 2021.

Kigali’s BK Arena has become one of the competition’s principal venues, hosting several of its regular-season games and playoff stages.

The partnership has also helped position Rwanda as an important destination for international basketball events.

The latest exchange also follows an earlier intervention by Merkley and Blackburn in August 2024, when the two senators questioned the NBA’s commercial relationship with the Rwandan government.

At the time, Tatum similarly indicated that the league would change its approach if US policies governing business activities involving Rwanda were altered.

The latest response therefore leaves the NBA’s broader relationship with Rwanda intact, while reaffirming that its activities will remain subject to American government policy.