"Call out the USA for injustice but turn a blind eye elsewhere" — NBA fans criticize Adam Silver for hosting preseason games in Abu Dhabi

In recent years, Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA have been at the forefront of social justice initiatives in the United States. Most notably, during the NBA Playoffs in the COVID-19 bubble, the league took a number of steps to give players a voice and platform for social justice issues.

In addition to having "Black Lives Matter" on the courts and deciding not to penalize players for kneeling, players were also allowed to print social justice messages on the backs of their jerseys.

Despite the league being involved in social justice initiatives in the U.S., Silver and the NBA have come under fire for the upcoming games in Abu Dhabi. The country has a Freedom House Index score of 18/100, making it one of the least "free" countries in the world.

With limited rights for women and LGBT individuals, plus a ban on political parties, the policies that dictate life in the country starkly contrast the social justice endeavors the NBA has stood for in the U.S.

Given that, NBA fans took aim at both Silver and the league regarding the upcoming Abu Dhabi games in response to an op-ed written about how the league is choosing hoops over human rights in Abu Dhabi.

Comment byu/The_MadStork from discussion innba

"Well yeah. did people already forget that whole China saga," one wrote.

"Profit over human rights would be more accurate," another added.

Others also weighed in:

"Nobody cares for human rights when money is involved. This is a hard truth," one wrote.

"One of the shittiest things about being an adult and trying to enjoy stuff is when you realize 'how the sausage is made' and that 99% of what you enjoy is somehow unethical in some way," another added.

Comment byu/The_MadStork from discussion innba

Looking back at Adam Silver's comments regarding the league's stance on social justice issues

In addition to the aforementioned social justice initiatives the NBA took during the COVID-19 bubble, the league has also been active over the past decade when it comes to gay rights and transgender rights.

For example, in 2017, Silver and the NBA were set to hold the All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina. However, after the state passed a controversial law banning transgender people from using the bathroom of the gender they identify with, the league pulled the plug.

At the time, there was talk of the game being rescheduled for 2019; however, given the controversial law passed within the state, the NBA decided that hosting the All-Star Game in Charlotte wouldn't be a good idea.

During the 2022-23 season, the league then wound up hosting the All-Star Game in Utah, despite the state passing a law banning transgender girls who were born boys from participating in girls' school sports. At the time, Silver spoke about the situation with media members, as relayed by The Salt Lake Tribune:

“Well, I think our track record is absolutely clear for decades about our focus on human rights issues. I would say in terms of a specific issue in a state or in a market, they’re all specific to that situation. I would just say we don’t have a general policy going into it.

“I think here we’ve worked successfully, as I said earlier, with Gov. Cox on bringing this All-Star Game to Utah. I think we’ve ensured that for working directly with the Utah Jazz that certainly for all our events, whether in the arena or the fan events outside the arena, that we absolutely protect the individual civil rights of any of the participants.”

Despite that, however, Spencer Cox — the Utah governor Silver was speaking about — said that same weekend that the NBA is trying to distance itself from social and political issues.

Whether the league continues to distance itself from social justice topics such as the human rights controversies in Abu Dhabi amid the criticism they're facing ahead of this year's Abu Dhabi games, only time will tell.