NBA says US sanctions are why Rwanda's army team was removed from Africa league
The National Basketball Association (NBA) says Rwanda's army-funded basketball team, Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR), was removed from the Basketball Africa League (BAL) because of US sanctions imposed on Rwanda's army in March over its role in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The NBA had already said APR would not participate in the 2026 BAL, but this is the first time it has revealed the reasons behind the removal. The explanation came in response to complaints from two US senators.
The senators said the NBA risked becoming complicit in sportswashing by accepting money from a Rwandan government that systematically abuses human rights. Last week the US also imposed sanctions on Rwanda's defence ministry over its support for the M23 rebel group, which has seized control of large parts of eastern DR Congo. Rwanda denies backing the rebels.
In their letter dated 23 October, Democratic Senator Jeffrey Merkley and Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn gave the NBA until 2 November to respond in writing. They asked what the NBA's red line is for accepting money from foreign governments that commit human rights abuses, and how its partnership with Rwanda can be reconciled with its stated commitment to justice.
In its response, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said the Rwandan team had been withdrawn from the BAL following the sanctions imposed earlier in the year, according to the American sports website ESPN. The NBA said APR would remain barred while the US sanctions are in place.
APR is one of Rwanda's top basketball teams and represented the country in the BAL in 2024 and 2025, finishing third last year. It was replaced this year by the RSSB Tigers. The BAL is a pan-African league established and co-organised by the NBA and world governing body Fiba, featuring 12 club teams from across the continent.
Rwanda is an official BAL partner and pays the league to host its finals at the 10,000-seat BK Arena in the capital, Kigali. Rwanda has hosted all but one of the league's final and playoff matches since the inaugural season in 2021, and the NBA reportedly receives millions of dollars annually from the country for marketing and partnership rights.
DR Congo has repeatedly condemned Rwanda's high-profile international sports deals, including with the NBA, European football clubs and Formula 1, and asked them to end their campaigns. It argues that these help Rwanda clean up its global image while the conflict continues in eastern DR Congo.
