The NBA partnered with the longtime authoritarian president of Rwanda as part of its goal to expand basketball into Africa. In the process, critics say, the NBA is looking past ongoing human rights abuses and political oppression of the Rwandan people.
Rwanda, one of the world's poorest countries, needed an NBA-style arena with at least 10,000 seats and all the extras: suites, high-speed Wi-Fi, plush locker rooms, concessions and so on. And they described to Kagame a way to pay off the project: create the kinds of vibrant retail and housing developments now common around U.S. sports venues.Within minutes, several members of Kagame's cabinet appeared at Petit Stade, including a minister who carried renovation plans for the arena.
The NBA says its focus in partnering with Kagame is simple."The conversations that we've had with Paul Kagame have all been about improving the lives of Rwandan people," Tatum says."How can we create, how can we inspire and connect people through the game of basketball to make Rwandan peoples' lives better."
This is the scene the NBA had in mind for the BAL, its first pro league outside North America. With a population almost five times larger than the United States -- about 1.5 billion people, nearly 70% under the age of 30 -- Africa represents massive untapped potential for new fans and for future NBA stars.
All of this has been a boon to the NBA's popularity in Africa. This past season, more than 140 games were televised across the continent, with a 41% increase in viewership from the year before. Followers in Africa of the NBA's social media accounts jumped by 20%, and jersey sales in South Africa increased substantially with the opening of the new stores. Investors in NBA Africa include former President Barack Obama and Hall of Famers Grant Hill and Dikembe Mutombo.
The development board, which played a critical role in the creation of the arena, is one of the most powerful entities in Rwanda, after Kagame himself. Before Akamanzi ran it, she was Kagame's top strategist. By aligning himself with the NBA and hobnobbing at league events, Kagame is trying to channel"Obama's cool," says Mohamed Keita, the Human Rights Foundation's senior Africa policy adviser.
Her two other kids have managed to see her in Kigali a few times in the past few years, but the visits are not easy. She is under constant surveillance, and her visitors are monitored, too. As Ingabire meets with ESPN at her home, the BAL's 2023 playoffs are in full swing. Although she bitterly opposes Kagame's government, Ingabire says Rwanda needs to be doing business with organizations like the NBA to develop its economy. In fact, her country is host to a number of U.S.-based companies, including Marriott and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
But by 2020, Rusesabagina was a wanted man in Rwanda. He had become a leading Kagame critic in exile and, concerned for the safety of his children, had moved to the United States and settled in San Antonio. When he boarded the plane in Dubai, he had no plans to return to his homeland. But as the private jet began its descent, Rusesabagina realized he had been tricked. He was being brought to Kigali and dropped into Kagame's hands.
About 90 minutes later, Buford responded:"President Kagame and Masai Ujuri are very close. If this is a state-led initiative, then Masai will be aligned with Kagame. He's probably not going to lobby against Kagame and Adam Silver only knows Kagame through Masai. I don't know this will be effective connection."
In September 2021, Rusesabagina was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison for what a government spokesperson described as"the terrorist activities" of a group led by Rusesabagina. The spokesperson added,"The people of Rwanda will feel safer now justice has been delivered." "I don't know what ended up happening," he says."For me, honestly, I feel these things are separate from sports. ... My focus was to get the BAL off the ground."
Ujiri, who had a modest pro basketball career in Europe before turning to scouting and management, already had worked on developing the sport in Africa for years when he met Kagame. He was named director of the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program in 2003, the same year he established a nonprofit called Giants of Africa in his hometown of Zaria, Nigeria. Since then, his organization has mushroomed across 17 African countries, holding camps and building courts.