In response to two senators who called on the NBA to reevaluate a partnership with Rwanda and its dictator Paul Kagame, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum cited the removal of a military-backed team from the Basketball Africa League as evidence the NBA has adapted to changing U.S. policies toward the East African nation.
In a letter directed to Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, Tatum stated that after the U.S. imposed economic sanctions on the Rwandan Defence Force early this year, the military-funded Armée Patriotique Rwandaise team "was withdrawn" from the BAL. Tatum wrote that APR would remain "ineligible to compete in the BAL while these sanctions remain in effect.