The Orlando Magic, an NBA team sponsored by Disney, donated $50,000 to Ron DeSantis' super PAC

• The Orlando Magic is currently sponsored by Disney.

• Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have been feuding for over a year.

• The team just donated $50,000 to the super PAC supporting DeSantis' presidential campaign.

The Orlando Magic, a Florida-based NBA team sponsored by Disney, donated $50,000 to the super PAC supporting Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign.

According to records filed to the Federal Election Commission by DeSantis super PAC "Never Back Down," the group received a $50,000 check from the Orlando Magic on June 26, following a tumultuous season where the team finished 34-48 after drafting Paolo Banchero as the first pick in the draft.

A search through the FEC's archive shows that while this is the basketball team's first donation in support of a presidential candidate, it's not the first time it donated to political causes. In 2005, the organization donated $500 to a Democratic House campaign, $2,000 to Maverick PAC USA in 2014, and $500 to Conservative Results in 2016.

The team is owned by a company established by Richard DeVos, the father-in-law of former President Donald Trump's secretary of education Betsy DeVos. It's chaired by her brother-in-law, Dan DeVos, who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2023, records show.

In an email, a representative with the Orlando Magic told Insider that despite what FEC records indicate, the check was dated and signed on May 19, 2023, 5 days before DeSantis declared he was running for president.

"To clarify, this gift was given before Governor DeSantis entered the presidential race," the representative said. "It was given as a Florida business in support of a Florida governor for the continued prosperity of Central Florida."

A screengrab of the Never Back Down super PAC's website from May 18, a day before the check was purportedly signed, shows a quote from the group's founder urging DeSantis to enter the race.

The Orlando Magic donated $50,000 to DeSantis' super PAC while also taking in sponsorship money from Disney, a corporation that DeSantis and his state administration have been headbutting with in a yearslong feud after Disney pushed back against what critics called his "Don't Say Gay" legislation.

As part of a "multi-year agreement" with Disney, the Orlando Magic team jersey prominently sports a 2.5 in x 2.5 in Disney logo on the front of their uniform.

Read the original article on Business Insider