Controversial Partnership with Africa's Top dictator puts the NBA in a difficult position

KIGALI, Rwanda – In the summer of 2018, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver visited Rwanda, meeting President Paul Kagame. This alliance marked a significant milestone in the NBA's global expansion strategy but also sparked controversy due to Kagame's contentious human rights record.

Adam Silver, known for leading one of the most progressive sports leagues, aimed to extend the NBA’s reach worldwide. Meanwhile, Kagame, a former rebel general who ended the Rwandan genocide but has since been criticized for authoritarian practices, sought to boost Rwanda’s economy and distract from his human rights record.

Kagame expressed his ambition to host an NBA game in Rwanda, proposing renovations for Petit Stade, a small stadium in Kigali. Silver, along with NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri, indicated that Rwanda needed a state-of-the-art arena. Within a year, Kagame inaugurated a $104 million facility, pivotal to the Basketball Africa League’s launch, demonstrating his control over the country’s resources.

This partnership has placed the NBA in a difficult position, requiring it to overlook Kagame’s alleged human rights abuses, including political oppression and funding child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite these issues, the NBA maintains that its collaboration with Kagame focuses on improving the lives of Rwandans as they claim.

ESPN’s year-long investigation involved interviews with NBA executives, Rwandan officials, opposition figures, and human rights experts, highlighting the ethical challenges the NBA faces in aligning with authoritarian regimes. The U.S. State Department has repeatedly cited Kagame’s government for severe human rights violations, raising questions about the NBA’s ethical stance.

Former U.S. diplomat Elizabeth Shackelford criticized the NBA’s partnership with Kagame, likening him to other authoritarian leaders. The NBA, however, insists that its initiatives aim to create opportunities and inspire positive change in Rwanda, despite the complex political backdrop.