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R-Tenn. Senator Marsha Blackburn was pushed NBA Executive Bill Koenig on Tuesday is a topic that was discussed for a while about the league’s connection to China.
Representatives from most large professional sports leagues were in Capitol on Tuesday to discuss media rights, broadcasting and streaming services across the industry.
During the hearing, Blackburn raised several questions to Koenig, the NBA’s president of global content and media distribution. China and In recent years.
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R-Tenn. Senator Marsha Blackburn arrives at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s business meeting on February 13, 2025 in Washington, DC, in the Darksen Senate Office building. (Anna Money Maker/Getty Images)
Blackburn began with context about the situation.
“I have seen my relationship with the NBA over the years with oppressive administrations around the world,” Blackburn said. “And of course, you all have a pretty comfortable relationship with CCPs. We know how they censor.
“Back in 2019, Daryl Molly’s tweets support Hong Kong’s freedom fighters, resulting in suspension. [of] The NBA will be broadcast on national media channels. It seems that you’ve been patching that relationship in recent years. So it must have been a fair deal, which was necessary. ”
Molly, then general manager of the Houston Rockets, fired a tweet in October 2019, saying, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”
China responded by unveiling an NBA preseason game that was then expected to take place in Shanghai. It then extended its suspension for almost a year before reverting the NBA to national television. 2020 NBA Finals.
After suggesting that the NBA and China had to come to the deal to get their relationship back on track, Blackburn pushed the details onto Koenig.
“So we’re talking about broadcasting rights and what they’re worth, so tell us what China’s broadcasting rights are worth, and how much NBA owners invested in China,” she said.
R-Tenn. Senator Marsha Blackburn of the Senate Committee on General Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about the budget request proposed by President Joe Biden at Capitol Hill, Washington on Thursday, March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file)
“The NBA has a very long history of distributing games and content in China for over 30 years,” Koenig replied, but that wasn’t enough.
“I’m not asking about the length of time you’ve been in China. Are you asking what the value of media rights is? You’re the president of global content and media distribution. So what are those rights, how much did the NBA owners invest in China?”
Koenig said, “The NBA has not publicly commented on the economic terms of our relationship – the US or overseas. However, in light of the tweets that Daryl Morey made in 2019, you can comment that it is accurate…”
“You had to cut back on the deal,” Blackburn replied, but Koenig said that wasn’t the case with the league.
“The estimate is that these media rights are worth hundreds of millions of dollars to you, and the owners of the NBA team have invested as much as $10 billion. [in China]. I think it’s important to clarify these numbers,” Blackburn added.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will speak at a press conference before the NBA in-season tournament final game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 9, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The other thing we see is human rights and we see how the NBA punished players who spoke to Chinese human rights abusers, especially the Kanter freedom.
Koenig replied, “One of the NBA’s most important values is freedom of speech.”
“In fact, the example you cited earlier – Daryl Molly. He was not disciplined or censored in any way in light of the comments he made,” Koenig added. “You’re right. That comment may have led to a lack of coverage due to CCTV and other matters. But no, we value freedom of speech very much, and that’s something I can confirm.”
As the NBA revised its ties with China, Commissioner Adam Silver said the league would consider playing the game again.
“I think at some point I’ll bring the game back to China,” he said in October. “The Chinese government aired us for a certain period of time. We embraced it. We were standing in our values… Everyone in our league has the right to talk about political issues.”
R-Tenn. Senator Marsha Blackburn has doubts about President Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump’s choice to become secretaries for the Department of Health and Human Services. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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Silver also said in 2020 that after relations with China deteriorated, among other factors, corporate sponsors experienced “dramatic” financial losses as they fled.
In 2022, an ESPN survey found that NBA owners had invested a total of $10 billion in China. This included owners with joint ventures with US government-approved entities.
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