The National Basketball Association has found itself in a China-linked controversy once again after serial dealmaker Chamath Palihapitiya, a part owner of the Golden State Warriors, dismissed concerns over human rights abuses facing the Uyghur minority in China.
“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, OK?” the Sri Lankan-born investor said during a January 15 episode of the All-In podcast, reacting to a comment from co-host Jason Calacanis about the Biden administration’s “very strong” stance on the issue.
“I’m telling you a very hard, ugly truth, OK? Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line,” Palihapitiya continued, as Calacanis reacted with palpable surprise. He also called human rights a “luxury belief”.
The Warriors said in a statement that Palihapitiya’s views do not reflect those of the team. Palihapitiya later wrote in a statement that upon re-listening to the interview, “I recognise that I come across as lacking empathy”. As part of a refugee family, he said “human rights matter” anywhere in the world.
But as videos of the exchange circulated on social media, Palihapitiya’s comments drew sharp rebuke. Many zeroed in on his role as a minority owner of the Warriors and on the NBA’s already delicate relationship with China. In 2019, a tweet from then Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in support of Hong Kong’s protest movement provoked a huge backlash in China. Since then, teams and players including LeBron James have been closely scrutinised for their stances on China.
More recently, China shut off Boston Celtics games after player Enes Freedom criticised the country’s human rights record on the predominately Muslim Uyghurs, as well as Tibet and Hong Kong.
Reaction to the controversy spread to include comments from conservative politicians such as Republican senators Tom Cotton from Arkansas, Mitt Romney of Utah and Rick Scott of Florida.
“Unless Adam Silver and the NBA want to be exposed as brazened hypocrites supporting religious genocide, they need to force woke billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya to sell his share of the Golden State Warriors,” Cotton wrote on Twitter.
Nury Turkel, a Uyghur-American lawyer who serves as vice-chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, tweeted that Palihapitiya’s behaviour was “emblematic across the board in the business and sports world, as well as Hollywood”. He said “this kind of unrepentant and unconscionable behaviour should be met with consequences”.
Palihapitiya, 45, whose family fled Sri Lanka for Canada when he was a child, is no stranger to controversy. He has built a large following on social media, particularly among a certain type of gung-ho retail investor. He has criticised hedge funds while simultaneously praising Redditors/WallStreetBets’ financial abilities, even as he launched multiple SPACs that have since seen their shares collapse.
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— Bloomberg
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