The National Basketball Association (NBA) has explained why it dropped Rwanda's army team from the Basketball Africa League (BAL). It blamed US sanctions placed on the Rwandan army in March. The NBA had already said Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) would not play in the 2026 season. Until now, it had not said why.
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum gave the reason in a reply to two US senators, the American sports website ESPN reported. Tatum said the team "was withdrawn" from the BAL and would remain "ineligible" to compete. According to The Star, the NBA said APR would stay barred for as long as the US sanctions are in place.
Tatum also said the NBA follows US policy when deciding where and how to operate around the world. He said the association condemns human rights violations "wherever they occur", according to ESPN.
The senators wrote to the NBA on October 23. Democratic Senator Jeffrey Merkley and Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn gave the league until November 2 to reply in writing. They said the NBA risked "becoming complicit in sportswashing" by taking money from the Rwandan government. They also asked what the NBA's "red line" was for accepting money from foreign governments that commit human rights abuses.
Washington accuses the Rwandan army of fuelling the conflict in eastern DR Congo by supporting the M23 rebels. The rebels control large parts of the region. Last week, the US also sanctioned Rwanda's defence ministry over its support for M23, The Star reported. Rwanda denies backing the rebels.
APR is one of Rwanda's top basketball teams and is funded by the military. It represented Rwanda in the BAL in 2024 and 2025, finishing third in 2025. Fellow Rwandan side RSSB Tigers replaced it in 2026 and went on to win the title, The Eastleigh Voice reported.
Rwanda remains an official BAL partner. It pays to host the finals at the 10,000-seat BK Arena in Kigali. The NBA reportedly earns millions of dollars a year from the country for marketing and partnership rights. DR Congo has repeatedly urged the NBA, European football clubs and Formula 1 to end their deals with Rwanda. Kinshasa says the deals help polish Rwanda's image while the fighting goes on.