The National Basketball Association and its star player LeBron James have made numerous comments about the Kyle Rittenhouse trial but have been mysteriously silent about the fate of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who abruptly disappeared from public view after accusing a highly placed Chinese communist official of raping her.
The disappearance of Peng Shuai should have the attention of every athlete who wants sports to remain free of government interference, not to mention athletes who want to encourage women to speak out about sexual assault.
Shuai abruptly fell out of the public eye on November 2 after posting a message to Chinese social media accusing Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of raping her in 2019. But days after her post, her Weibo account — China’s version of Twitter — was shut down, and Shuai disappeared from public view.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 23: Shuai Peng of China plays a backhand during her Women’s Doubles first-round match with partner Shuai Zhang of China against Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Alison Riske of the United States on day four of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 23, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Since then, the only thing the world has seen of Peng Shuai is Chinese government-sponsored appearances or messages. Shuai herself has not been seen making statements or appearances of her own free will.
On the surface, the Peng Shuai case might seem to be just the sort of situation that self-styled civil rights activist LeBron James and the ultra-woke NBA would be interested in highlighting. Instead, however, neither the league nor its usually loud star player has said a word about Shuai.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 19: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on November 19, 2021, in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
Yet, as Fox News recently noted, James and the NBA have been all over the Kyle Rittenhouse trial despite that both claim to be activists for human rights.
The NBA immediately posted a message decrying “vigilantism in our society” after Rittenhouse was acquitted of performing any act of “vigilantism.”
Several weeks ago, LeBron James was also seen attacking the teenager who was physically assaulted during the 2020 Kenosha riots and who defended himself with a firearm. In a November 10 tweet, the 36-year-old James ridiculed the 18-year-old Rittenhouse for tearing up on the stand as he stood on trial for his life in Wisconsin.
Another sports entity that often comments on topics if they redound negatively on the United States is sportswear giant Nike. But Nike has also been entirely silent on the oppression of Peng Shuai.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Tennis Association has not been as reticent to get involved in the Shuai case. The WTA has repeatedly called for a full investigation into what China has done to Shuai and has threatened other action, as well.
Of course, the difference between the WTA and Nike, the NBA, and LeBron James is that the WTA does not make billions of dollars with business deals with the communist Chinese government like the others.
Nike CEO John Donahoe, for instance, recently reaffirmed the Nike/China nexus by insisting that “Nike is a brand that is of China and for China.” Meanwhile, Nike reportedly made $1.9 billion with its sales and relationships in China.
As for LeBron James, it is estimated that he has secured a one-billion-dollar contract with the “of China and for China” Nike, not to mention the millions he makes from China’s business partner, the NBA. So, LeBron’s finances run deep into red China.
Of course, the NBA is a huge partner with the oppressive communist country. The NBA has direct deals with Tencent, China’s streaming broadcast service, which is worth hundreds of millions a year. And the league and its players both earn millions a year each from deals with their Chinese partners. These deals have easily topped tens of billion dollars over the last decade.
All this, from groups who claim to be interested in human rights but who also turn a blind eye to the genocidal Chinese government’s extensive record of human rights abuses. As NBA player Enes Kanter recently defined it, Nike, the NBA, and LeBron James are putting “money over morals.”
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