'Alarming': NBA Players Union Speaks Out On Orlando Magic's Ron DeSantis PAC Donation
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The National Basketball Players Association has dropped its two cents on the Orlando Magic’s “alarming” $50,000 donation to a super PAC that supports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The players union said in a statement that the political contribution is “alarming given recent comments and policies of its beneficiary.”
“NBA governors, players and personnel have the right to express their personal political views, including through donations and statements,” the union said in a statement. “However, if contributions are made on behalf of an entire team, using money earned through the labor of its employees, it is incumbent upon the team governors to consider the diverse values and perspectives of staff and players.”
“The Magic’s donation does not represent player support for the recipient,” the statement continued.
The union’s remarks arrive after a spokesperson for the team said that the donation to the super PAC occurred on May 19, prior to the governor’s presidential campaign announcement.
“To clarify, this gift was given before Gov. DeSantis entered the presidential race. It was given as a Florida business in support of a Florida governor for the continued prosperity of Central Florida,” Joel Glass, chief communications officer for the team, said in a statement to HuffPost.
The super PAC was calling on DeSantis to run for president at that time, however. He formally announced his campaign days later, on May 24.
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass told The New York Times that team governors “make their own decisions on the political contributions they make,” adding that it respects “the right of members of the NBA family to express their political views.”
A statement from the NBPA on the Orlando Magic’s recent political donations.
Official statement: https://t.co/6fmRZCxVzGpic.twitter.com/JQEk0V4Ztl— NBPA (@TheNBPA) August 3, 2023
The Orlando Magic has made several political donations in the past. The team is owned by in-laws of former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who served in the administration of former president and DeSantis rival Donald Trump.
The Magic has been sponsored by Disney, which the Florida governor has targeted in his so-called war on “woke.”
Several figures in the sports world have weighed in on the super PAC donation, including commentator Stephen A. Smith.
“We’ve got a governor in Florida that has made a plethora of decisions that the LGBTQ community has found offensive, that Black people have found offensive, that immigrants have found offensive,” Smith said on his podcast. “Where the hell else are all these other athletes? Where are you?”
In response to the donation news, New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. went after DeSantis for backing Florida’s controversial educational standards. The standards include saying students should be taught that enslaved people had opportunities to develop skills for their personal benefit.
“So the @OrlandoMagic who have a majority black roster, a black head coach, and a black GM decided it was a good idea to support a man that claims that slavery had personal benefits for the enslaved?” Nance wrote on social media.
So the @OrlandoMagic who have a majority black roster, a black head coach, and a black GM decided it was a good idea to support a man that claims that slavery had personal benefits for the enslaved? https://t.co/LI3FAXbMxb
— Larry Nance (@Larrydn22) August 2, 2023
Prior to the news of the donation, retiring Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem slammed DeSantis and said Floridians aren’t happy with his actions.
“I happen to live there and I was born there. It’s not my fault. So please stop Florida-shaming us people,” Haslem said of his Florida ties in an interview with the Boston Globe.
“We’re not happy about what this man [DeSantis] is doing,” he added. “Diversity and inclusion and taking the [books away]. We’re not happy about that.”
