Ahead of NBA finals, advocates renew call for league to sever ties with UAE

“Ahead of NBA finals, advocates renew call for league to sever ties with UAE Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Tue, 06/02/2026 - 15:54 US lawmaker accuses Abu Dhabi of 'sportswashing' to cover up involvement in Sudan atrocities Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs, left, speaks to referee Courtney Kirkland, whose jersey displays the Emirates logo, during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the NBA Western Conference finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on 22 May 2026 (Alex Slitz/Getty Images via AFP) Off The New York Knicks are in the NBA Finals, and Arsenal just won the English Premier League before losing the UEFA Champions League Final. What the teams and their achievements have in common isn't just the avid and vocal support of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani , but also lucrative sponsorship deals with the United Arab Emirates. Beyond individual teams, the NBA in recent years has signed two deals: one with the UAE's department of tourism, signed in 2021, and a sponsorship deal with Emirates Airlines, signed in 2024. On Tuesday, advocates joined US Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern to demand that the NBA sever its partnership with the UAE, owing to the now four-year-long Sudanese civil war, and Abu Dhabi's training, logistical and financial support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is accused of committing widespread atrocities against civilians. Sudan remains the site of the largest continuous humanitarian and displacement crisis in the world, the non-profit Refugees International said. "Fans should know that the sport that they are enjoying is fuelling crimes against humanity. They should know that the NBA is investing in the UAE, and the UAE is investing in atrocities in Sudan," McGovern said during a virtual press briefing. "We call this sports washing, where a government uses the glamour of an international sporting event to cover up human rights abuses." The congressman is the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission , and said his letter to the NBA was only met with a boilerplate response that did not mention the organisation's corporate social responsibility policy. The NBA did say, however, that it abides by the US State Department's "directives and guidance... in every country we operate", McGovern said of the reply he received. Atrocities in Sudan backed by Colombian mercenaries trained at UAE bases, says report Read More » "Our goal is for the NBA to get the UAE to divest from atrocities in Sudan; we know you can, and your reputation and your conscience will benefit from it," he added. The deal with the UAE's tourism department includes preseason games in Abu Dhabi, appearances by NBA players, youth leagues, and clinics, as well as designating Abu Dhabi as the NBA's official tourism partner across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and China. In 2026, that deal was expanded to include an NBA global academy in Abu Dhabi. The deal with Emirates Airlines includes renaming the NBA's in-season tournament the Emirates NBA Cup, which the New York Knicks won earlier this season. It also includes Emirates' branding on referee uniforms, arena signage, and league-wide sponsorship rights, as well as the right to broadcast NBA content on Emirates flights. Middle East Eye has reached out to an NBA media liaison and the Sudanese ambassador to the US. 'The Emirates needs the NBA' "The NBA and WNBA are now one degree of separation from perhaps the worst case of racial violence and injustice in the world as a result of this branding deal, which is the largest one that's ever been signed with the government by these two leagues," said John Prendergast, a former Clinton White House official and co-founder - along with actor George Clooney - of the investigative outfit, The Sentry. "The deal is going to generate what they estimate to be about $500m in ad revenue for both the NBA and the UAE," he added. "The New York Knicks, who are playing in the NBA finals tomorrow, have their own $30m deal with the UAE." MEE asked what alternatives exist for sports teams seeking such outsized profitability if not through deals with oil-rich Gulf nations. 'The NBA doesn't need the Emirates. The Emirates needs the NBA. That's why they jumped into this partnership' - Niemat Ahmadi, Darfur Women Action Group "The NBA doesn't need the Emirates. The Emirates needs the NBA. That's why they jumped into this partnership," Niemat Ahmadi, the president of Darfur Women Action Group, responded. "There are many, many American companies who have way more money to spend...[the NBA] did not go to the Emirates and ask for this deal. The Emirates is trying to rebrand," she added. Prendergast noted that Arsenal's "Visit Rwanda" sleeve partnership ended last year precisely because fans demanded it, making a similar move with the NBA possible if enough pressure is applied. In that vein, Mamdani's Arsenal kurta at Eid al-Adha prayer last week may have inadvertently sent the wrong message. "We're going to reach out to his office," Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International, said during the briefing. "I think what it underscores is just how effective the sportswashing approach is. People put an Arsenal jersey on. They put an NBA jersey on. They don't even think about what it says on the front...They don't think about what that implies." The UAE has continued to deny supporting the RSF, despite growing evidence to the contrary, including the testimony of the paramilitary’s former commanders, satellite imagery, flight tracking, weapons serial numbers, and battlefield evidence that MEE has reported on . Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, an Emirati academic close to Abu Dhabi’s leadership, recently criticised the “singling out” of the UAE over its support for the RSF, noting that the Sudanese paramilitary “has support from Uganda, from Ethiopia, from Chad”. Sport Washington News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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