Keep an eye out as to how members of this year’s “Dream Team” will respond to political questions during the upcoming Olympics. Last year, LeBron James declined to sign a letter drafted by teammate Ira Newble to the Chinese government regarding the genocide in Darfur. Since then, he says he has “educated himself” on the issue and is now better informed. See his recent interview with ESPN where he declares “human rights is more important than basketball and contracts.” And teammate Kobe Bryant has also spoken out publicly on the Darfur issue via a recent public service announcement. Will James, Bryant and other players stay quiet as they pursue the gold for fear of upsetting their host country and corporate sponsors like Nike? Or will they use the Olympic stage to voice criticism against China’s atrocious human rights record and the government’s close economic ties with oppressive regimes like Sudan and Burma? So far, the high-profile NBA players on Team USA are keeping mum on the issue.
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