Bipartisan U.S. Senators Want Answers About NBA's Relationship With Rwandan Dictator

Of the four major North American leagues, the NBA is the undisputed wokeness champion.

This is ironic because they seem to get blasted for their relationships with oppressive governments more than the less-woke leagues ever do.

We all know about the NBA's ties to China and their reluctance to condemn the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party. which really isn't hard to do. But the likes of LeBron James and risk-takin' Steve Kerr sure get tongue-tied if you ask them to do it.

Maybe they'd be more open to talk about the league's relationship with Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame because U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR.) want answers.

By the way, when you've got a bipartisan senator tag team looking for answers, you know they mean business.

The letter sent to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver cited an ESPN report about how the NBA worked with Kagame to help launch its first league outside of North America, Basketball Africa League, but to do that, they had to ignore the blatant human rights violations happening in the country under the dictator's rule.

Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame has been accused of human rights violations, and that's why US Senators want to understand the nature of the NBA's relationship with him. (Photo by Luke Dray/Getty Images)

"Anyone who dares to question Kagame's rule -- whether it be opposition candidates or the free press -- is jailed, disappeared or brutally murdered," the letter reads, according to ESPN.

I mean… it's a fair question because the NBA has overlooked that sort of thing before, and the senators made sure to mention how hypocritical that is given the NBA's push to paint itself as the top dog of wokeness in sports. They slammed the NBA for having "long positioned itself as a beacon of social justice," but then doing the opposite and "developing relationships with dictators and despots."

They want Silver to respond within a week and present how the league is working to improve the lives of Rwandans.