'They're a customer of ours.' Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban condemns human rights violations but admits he's fine with doing business with China, saying 'we have to pick our battles'
Mark Cuban has condemned human rights violations, but defended doing business with China, saying 'we have to pick our battles'.
The billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner appeared on former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly's new podcast The Megyn Kelly Show for an hour-long episode that aired on Monday to discuss the NBA Finals, foreign business deals and the Black Lives Matter movement, among several other topics.
At one point during the heated conversation, Kelly referenced the NBA's dealings with China, a market that is reportedly worth $4 billion to the league, and pointed out the country's controversial history of human rights violations.
China has been accused of controlling its population through forced sterilization and abortion; having labor camps and carrying out ethnic cleansing of religious groups, including Muslims.
But while Cuban stated he's 'against human rights violations around the world', he said he's still 'OK with doing business with China'.
Mark Cuban has condemned human rights violations, but defended doing business with China, saying 'we have to pick our battles'.
The intense portion of the conversation kicks off when Megyn presses Cuban: 'Why won't you and the NBA explicitly condemn human rights ?'
Cuban responds: 'I personally put a priority on domestic issues. I'm against human rights violations around the world.'
'Including the ones in China?' the veteran news anchor pushes.
The billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner appeared on former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly's new podcast The Megyn Kelly Show for an hour-long episode that aired on Monday to discuss the NBA Finals, foreign business deals and the Black Lives Matter movement, among several other topics
Cuban shoots back: 'China is not the only country with human rights violations.'
He later adds: 'Any human rights violations anywhere are wrong.'
The two briefly moved away from the topic, before Kelly came back to the subject, asking: 'Why would the NBA take $500 million dollars plus from a country that is engaging in ethnic cleansing?'
A defensive Cuban responds: 'So basically, you're saying nobody should do business with China ever.'
'Why won't you just answer my question?' she counters.
An exasperated Cuban says: 'Because they are a customer. They are a customer of ours. And guess what, Megyn? I'm OK with doing business with China.
'And so we have to pick our battles. I wish we could solve all the world's problems. But we can't.'
In October last year, the NBA was accused of kowtowing to the lucrative Chinese market after the league expressed 'regret' over the Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeting in support of Hong Kong protests.
At one point during the heated conversation, Kelly referenced the NBA's dealings with China, a market that is reportedly worth $4 billion to the league, and pointed out the country's controversial history of human rights violations
Pictured: Employees watch a live broadcast of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at an NBA store in Beijing on Saturday. The NBA is returning to Chinese state television after a one-year absence. CCTV announced Friday that it would air Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat the first time that the league would appear on the network since the rift that started when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong
Morey apologized and swiftly deleted the tweet that included an image of the activists' rally cry: 'Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.'
His support for the protests in the Chinese-ruled city angered Beijing, Chinese fans and the team's business partners in a key NBA market.
The Rockets are widely followed in China, partly because they drafted Yao Ming in 2002, who became a star for Houston and helped build the NBA's following in China.
Following the reaction from China, the NBA said in a statement it recognized Morey's views 'deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable'.
But U.S. lawmakers argued the NBA's response was shameful and showed how China was using its economic power to censor speech by Americans in the United States.
Kelly launched her podcast last month.
It's the former talk show host's latest venture as an independent journalist as she launches her media company called Devil May Care Media.
The name Devil May Care Media is a slight dig at mainstream media, with the full saying as 'the devil may care, but I do not'.
She announced the news in a tweet, writing: 'It'll be free & available pretty much everywhere. No B.S. No agenda. No corporate overlords. Should be fun!'
The podcast will have three new episodes per week and guests that are 'newsmakers, thought leaders and compelling voices'.