Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley and Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn wrote to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on October 23, asking the league to reconsider its partnership with the Rwandan government and respond to six questions by November 2.
The senators argue that the NBA’s continued commercial ties with Kigali are increasingly difficult to reconcile with Washington’s changing policy towards Rwanda, including US sanctions imposed on the Rwandan Defence Force in March 2026 over its alleged support for the M23 rebel group in eastern DRC.
The NBA told ESPN it had received the letter and was preparing a response.
Rwanda’s sports ambitions meet growing scrutiny
Rwanda reportedly pays the NBA between $6 million and $7 million annually for a partnership that includes hosting stages of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), displaying Visit Rwanda branding and other marketing rights.
The relationship also extends to the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, who named Visit Rwanda their exclusive jersey-patch sponsor under a multiyear agreement. The tourism brand is also promoted at the team’s Intuit Dome arena.
The senators’ latest intervention follows an earlier exchange in 2024, when NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said the league would follow US government guidance on where it conducted business. He added that the NBA’s actions would change if American policy towards Rwanda changed.
Their October letter asks the league to explain its threshold for accepting money from governments accused of human rights abuses, whether recent US measures against Rwanda meet the standard Tatum outlined, and whether the NBA intends to reconsider the partnership.
The scrutiny comes as Rwanda expands its international sports portfolio. On October 13, Formula 1 announced a 10-year agreement to bring the sport back to Africa, with Rwanda expected to host the first race in the early 2030s after a new circuit is built in Bugesera.
The country has also pursued sponsorship agreements with major European football clubs. Arsenal and Bayern Munich ended their Visit Rwanda partnerships in 2025 following criticism over Rwanda’s role in eastern Congo, while the country has continued to cultivate other international sports relationships.
The DRC has separately urged the NBA, Formula 1 and European football clubs to end their Rwanda-linked sponsorships. In February 2025, Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner told Reuters that maintaining such ties risked undermining the organisations’ credibility and human-rights commitments.
Rwanda has defended its sports partnerships as part of a broader strategy to promote tourism, attract investment and strengthen its international profile. Kigali has denied supporting M23.