Advertisement - scroll for more content
More than a dozen National Basketball Association stars may soon be facing off against a formidable new opponent: Congress. Some Republicans are demanding that NBA players sever endorsement contracts with Chinese sportswear firms Anta and Li-Ning whose cotton supply chains are implicated in forced labor in China’s Xinjiang province. The Trump administration banned imports of Xinjiang cotton and products containing it in January. “Americans can’t and shouldn’t conduct business with companies and players that profit through human slavery,” Rep. Scott Perry (R-Penn.) told POLITICO. “And that includes NBA players — they can’t sign endorsement deals and benefit off slave labor.”
All that is bad news for NBA stars, including Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum and Klay Thompson, shooting guard for the Golden State Warriors, who have lucrative contracts with Li-Ning or Anta. Retired Miami Heat star and part-owner of the Utah Jazz, Dwyane Wade, inked a lifetime endorsement deal with Li-Ning in 2018. Neither Wade nor 13 current NBA players with Li-Ning or Anta endorsements responded to POLITICO requests for comment.
Shortly after his CNBC interview, Kushner elaborated on his remarks in an interview with Politico. “What I’d love to see from the players in the NBA -- again, they have the luxury of taking a night off from work, most Americans don’t have the financial luxury to do that,” he said. “It’s nice that they’re standing up for the issue, but I’d like to see them start moving into concrete solutions that are productive.”
LeBron James has not only become disgusted with the disturbing trend of law-enforcement officials killing unarmed black men. The Los Angeles Lakers star also pointed out how the long lines in certain neighborhoods during this week's Georgia primary elections mark yet another example of systemic racism. James was responding to a Politico reporter's tweet that election lines took hours in some Atlanta neighborhoods while there were no long waits in white, suburban areas. "Everyone talking about 'How do we fix this?' " LeBron tweeted. "They say, 'Go out and vote?' What about asking if how we vote is also structurally racist?"
After joining the four other former U.S. presidents at a benefit concert to raise money and awareness for hurricane victims, Barack Obama hit the golf course with a contingent from Under Armour, including Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, three-time major-winner Jordan Spieth and CEO Kevin Plank, according to Politico. Spieth posted a photo of the group -- which also included Curry's brother, Seth, and NBA legend Jerry West's son, Jonnie -- on his Instagram page Sunday night.
Advertisement
“That visit is more than how you feel about the current administration,” Bryant told Politico. “It’s about the guys next to you, about the flag, about the kids out there who look up to you and the United States.” Bryant added, in reference to visiting with President Trump: “But, honestly, it’s a tough call.”
Shortly after news circulated that Bleacher Report was laying off employees, including lead SEC writer Barrett Sallee, the exact numbers of staffers being let go are being reported. According to Politico’s Joe Pompeo, Bleacher Report is laying off approximately 50 employees in its wave of cuts.
Rolling Stone quietly removed an online article about the NBA and domestic violence on Friday, two days after it was published, POLITICO has learned. The piece, titled "Why Derrick Rose Rape Trial May Wreck NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's Legacy" by weekly columnist Beejoli Shah, examined how league commissioner Adam Silver has disciplined different basketball players accused of domestic violence and specifically noted his silence regarding Derrick Rose, the New York Knicks star whose civil trial for alleged gang rape is currently underway.
After the piece was published, an NBA representative contacted RollingStone.com sports editor Jason Diamond to dispute a number of assertions in the piece, a Rolling Stone source told POLITICO. In response, Rolling Stone added two corrections to the story. The NBA and Rolling Stone did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Byers, though, is a Politico alum, acclaimed in his field, and, well, I quote one of basketball-writing colleagues later to even it all out. "They get to tell their stories on their terms, without any editorializing from journalists," Byers said. "In politics, refusing to talk to the press makes you highly suspect. Not so in sports. No one harbors doubts about Gregg Popovich or Marshawn Lynch because they spurn reporters. They're judged by what they do in the arena, or on the field, and that is visible to all. You don't need a reporter for that."
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement