The Miami Heat NBA franchise is being criticized for encouraging fans to contact their state senators “demanding” support for “common-sense gun laws” prior to the team’s playoff game against the Boston Celtics Wednesday night.
Following a moment of silence in honor of the 21 victims killed in the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the team’s public address announcer urged attendees at FTX Stadium to leave a message with their elected officials and asked them to register to vote.
A clip of the request can be seen here:
A moment of silence. pic.twitter.com/8Ycn1uqN0i
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 26, 2022
In reaction to the announcement, Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio blasted the NBA, accusing the league of blatant hypocrisy related to its business dealings with the Chinese Communist regime.
“The @NBA doesn’t like to talk about the billions they make from a China that enslaves Uyghur Muslims and harvests their organs,” Rubio tweeted. “But they have no problem politicizing a horrific tragedy in America.”
The @NBA doesn’t like to talk about the billions they make from a China that enslaves Uyghur Muslims and harvests their organs
But they have no problem politicizing a horrific tragedy in America pic.twitter.com/VUXpOBbw7j
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 26, 2022
The Daily Wire recently reported that owners of NBA teams have a collective $10 billion invested in China.
The NBA has been frequently criticized for doing business with China while refusing to speak against a myriad of issues plaguing the communist nation — including repression of ethnic minorities like the Uyghurs.
A new analysis from ESPN found that the league’s 40 principal owners “collectively have more than $10 billion tied up in China.”
The Daily Wire also noted that former Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter Freedom — who grew up under heavy political repression in Turkey — has blasted the NBA for refusing to speak out about Chinese atrocities because they are “scared.”
“You know, you see, there’s so many athletes, so many actors, you know, so many singers and rappers out there,” Kanter said in 2021. “They’re scared. They’re scared to say a word because they care too much about their money. They care too much about their endorsement deals. They care too much about what the teams that they play for are going to say. But, you know, they should know one thing: It should be morals and principles over money. It shouldn’t be the opposite way.”
On Tuesday, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr also commented on the tragedy of gun violence.
“When are we going to do something? I am so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there,” Kerr said at a press conference.
The Celtics defeated the Heat 93-80 to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.