In the letter to the NBA dated 23 October, Democratic Senator Jeffrey Merkley and Republican counterpart Marsha Blackburn gave the association until 2 November to give a written response regarding its continued partnership with Rwanda.
“What is the NBA red line for accepting money from foreign governments that commit human rights abuses?” the senators asked.
Among other queries, they also questioned how the association could “reconcile its continued partnership with Rwanda with its purported commitment to justice”.
In its response, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said the Rwandan team “had been withdrawn” from the BAL following the sanctions imposed earlier in the year, American sports website ESPN reports.
The BAL is a pan-African basketball league established and co-organised by the NBA and the basketball’s world governing body Fiba.
The NBA said the APR basketball club would remain barred while the US sanctions are in place.
The APR is one of Rwanda’s top basketball teams and represented the country in the African league in 2024 and 2025, when it came third. It was replaced by the RSSB Tigers this year.
Rwanda has hosted all but one of the league’s final and playoff matches since the inaugural match in 2021.
The NBA reportedly receives millions of dollars annually from the country for the marketing and partnership rights.
DR Congo has repeatedly condemned Rwanda’s high-profile international sports deals, including with the NBA, European football clubs and Formula 1, asking them to end their campaigns.
It argues that these help Rwanda clean up its global image, while the conflict continues in eastern DR Congo.
