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Amidst paramilitary fighters from the brutal Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seizing control of the biggest urban center in western Sudan – carrying out mass executions, rapes and ethnic cleansing with arms supplied by the UAE – the National Basketball Association's yearly in-season tournament tipped off on October 31st, with sponsorship from the very same Middle Eastern nation.

An Expanding Partnership During Crisis

This event represents the clearest example of the league's expanding relationship with the UAE – an alliance that encompasses yearly exhibition matches in Abu Dhabi, a lucrative sponsorship deal with a UAE-based carrier, and proposals for a new NBA Global Academy at an educational campus in Abu Dhabi.

More significant deals could follow. It is suggested the NBA is seeking Emirati investment in a new NBA-branded basketball competition, which might begin as soon as 2027.

This flourishing partnership has already paid dividends for both sides: the NBA has gained a deep-pocketed backer, while the UAE has identified a willing partner to help burnish the image of its autocratic regime, particularly as it faces accusations of inflaming genocide in Sudan.

The Emirates' Controversial Record

Underneath its image of wealth and modernity, the UAE enforces silence with an iron fist. Critics and human rights advocates languish in prisons on arbitrary charges, punished for daring to oppose the state. The country's economic prosperity is built by migrant laborers, who make up a vast majority of the workforce and who work with few rights and minimal options against exploitation.

The UAE’s influence extends into bloodier terrain beyond its borders. A growing body of evidence connects the Emirati government to Sudan’s RSF, the armed group behind many of the horrors and crimes against humanity occurring in Sudan.

The Horrors of The Sudanese Civil War

The nation's civil war began in April 2023, when tensions between the Sudanese military and the RSF plunged the country into a state of full-scale warfare. Cities such as the capital Khartoum were transformed into battlefields, destroying critical infrastructure and creating the world’s largest displacement crisis.

With the conflict approaches its third year, death toll estimates vary widely. Aid agencies have documented many thousands of fatalities. Separate studies suggest the number may be significantly higher, with tens of thousands dead as a direct result the violence.

The civil war has also been marked by horrific atrocities such as rape, abuse, dismemberment and ethnic cleansing. This was vividly demonstrated when a major city in Darfur fell to the RSF. The militia embarked on a campaign of slaughter so extreme that evidence of the violence was visible from space.

From the beginning of the conflict, the Emirates have reportedly financed and equipped the RSF, effectively sponsoring the group’s atrocities. Sudan’s authorities have even filed a complaint to the International Court of Justice alleging the UAE of genocidal complicity. In spite of significant proof to the opposite, the UAE persistently rejects any role in the conflict.

Sportswashing and Global Apathy

Recently, the UAE has hosted major sporting events in cricket, basketball, mixed martial arts, and motorsport. Upcoming are golf and padel tournaments. Apart from a few instances, sports entities have not attempted to dissociate from the controversial nation.

The UAE has reaped enormous benefits from the athletic community's apathy. Investments in soccer teams, cricket, and other ventures have recast the leadership as astute businessmen rather than authoritarian rulers.

And yet, the continuing slaughter in Darfur has garnered some rare bad publicity for the UAE. Some football fans have even condemned their club’s owner for his country’s role in the Sudan conflict.

A Call for Responsibility

The lack of outcry around the NBA’s new partnership with the UAE is troubling. One of the few to criticize the NBA for legitimizing the UAE’s role is a humanitarian organization that champions the rights of displaced people. Their message read: “The Emirates NBA Cup could bring out the positive aspects in everyone. Instead, it’s being used to whitewash atrocities fueled + funded by the UAE in Sudan. The NBA shouldn’t let itself to be a pawn in the UAE’s rehabilitation of famine + genocide.”

Nevertheless, sports teams and organizations rarely sever profitable agreements without pushback. At a major football club's annual meeting, an activist who previously led a successful campaign to end a sponsorship deal with a different Gulf state was shouted down by members after voicing objections about a new agreement with the UAE’s flag carrier.

The activist accused the club of “propping up the reputation of sketchy political regimes” and warned that the deal could inflict “lasting damage to the reputation of our club”. For his comments, he was openly mocked by the organization's chief executive.

This incident further emphasizes how effective the Gulf state’s public relations strategies have been, enabling dissent seem unwelcome even within famous sports institutions.

A Final Thought

It is unlikely the NBA, which has partnerships with other authoritarian governments, to speak out the UAE’s human rights record … consider the possibility. Imagine if mass atrocities, war crimes and entrenched authoritarianism were unacceptable conditions for global sports.