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When the NBA Players Association learned of a contribution by the Orlando Magic to Desantis' campaign, they issued a statement condemning it because it was "made on behalf of the entire team" without consulting with the players who would've rejected it. Ron Desantis fired back today, issuing the following statement in response: "It appears the NBA took a break from protesting our anthem and bending the knee to Communist China to chirp about my policies."
Sopan Deb: NEW: From Orlando Magic on donation to Gov. DeSantis Super PAC: "To clarify, this gift was given before Governor 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.”
Magic donate $50,000 to Ron 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 Orlando Magic donated $50,000 to the group on June 26
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. A representative from the Orlando Magic told Insider the company does not "publicly comment on political contributions."
These are the final days of Udonis Haslem’s career, and the soon-to-be 43-year-old veteran is shifting his focus from basketball to social issues in his home state of Florida. Haslem is completely invested in Florida. He grew up in Miami, attended Miami Senior High School and the University of Florida. He’s spent 20 years with the Miami Heat and he’s very protective of what those who don’t live in Florida say about Florida, especially now. As Governor Ron DeSantis prepares his 2024 Presidential bid with a strong stance on the elimination of diversity and inclusion and the elimination of minority- and LGBTQ-based books from the school curriculum, Haslem felt inclined to speak out against those beliefs, stressing that all Floridians do not support DeSantis’s opinions.
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On May 15, DeSantis signed a bill that would prevent Florida colleges from using state funding on diversity and inclusion programs. DeSantis also signed a bill in April 2022 banning critical race theory from being taught in schools. More than 500 books have been banned in various Florida school districts since 2021, and last month Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb” poem was banned from the Miami-Dade County elementary school system. “Well first and foremost I’m going to ask people out there to stop Florida-shaming us,” he said as the Heat prepare for Game 2 of the NBA Finals. “Everybody ain’t down with what’s going on in Florida. People think that because you live in Florida, like you just down with the [expletive]. We’re not. I’m not down with it. I’m not happy about it. “I happen to live there and I was born there. It’s not my fault. So please stop Florida-shaming us people. We’re not happy about what this man [DeSantis] is doing. Diversity and inclusion and taking the [books away]. We’re not happy about that. I sit at home on the couch with my wife and raise hell.”
Florida has received increased criticism recently for the banning of books while Gorman said she was “gutted” after “The Hill We Climb” was added to the list. Haslem said these issues have made him angry but he stressed the importance of voting in local elections as a means of expressing displeasure. “It’s very disappointing and I’m the father of three, three Black men,” he said. “Three boys that are coming up and I would love for them to learn in school about what the hell is really going on and what happened. But that’s out of my control. All I can do is get my ass up and vote. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to continue to encourage everybody around me. That’s all I can do.”
On the verge of the NBA finals, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has proposed a “friendly wager” with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with a happy Disney ending should the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat. The championship matchup starts on Thursday and Polis suggests that the Walt Disney World Resort pull up stakes from the Sunshine State and land in colorful Colorado should the Nuggets beat the Heat.
In the wager, posted at 1:50 p.m. Tuesday on Twitter, Polis refers to Colorado as “the ACTUAL happiest place on earth to do business, have fun, and be free!” It’s not the first time Polis has envisioned Disney in Colorado. In April 2022, Polis offered Mickey and Minnie Mouse “full asylum in Colorado” after DeSantis, now a presidential candidate, was critical of Disney as part of a long, ongoing battle with the entertainment company.
For NBA player Dwayne Wade says anti-LGBTQ legislation in Florida is a big reason he moved his family out of the state. In an interview with Rachel Nichols on her “Headliners” show, Wade, a former star of the Miami Heat, was asked about the passage of a raft of anti-LGBTQ legislation by Florida’s Republican legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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The Miami Heat have eliminated their vaccination-only sections at AmericanAirlines Arena, no longer utilizing vaccination passports as a seating option, the South Florida Sun Sentinel has confirmed with the team. The program had been in place for games beginning April 1, the day before an order from Governor Ron DeSantis prohibiting governments, businesses and public venues from demanding proof of Covid-19 vaccination from individuals.
Former Seminole football star, NBA player and Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward has been appointed to Tallahassee Community College’s Board of Trustees, Governor Ron DeSantis announced in a release Friday. Ward is currently the Head Coach for Florida State University Schools’ “Florida High” boys basketball team.
While it’s true that the NBA has a likely ally in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, you never quite know where the political winds might shift. A couple of phone calls shuts the NBA’s business down, as so many businesses have been shut down around the country. I had Henry Abbott of TrueHoop on my podcast and he made a point that few others have made: Silver has been fairly politically neutral of late, despite his reputation as the progressive commissioner. The theory Abbott espoused was that this has something to do with the NBA needing allies in government to make this bubble a reality. Many NBA players (and fans) might hate President Donald Trump, but Silver can’t afford to be seen as a Trump enemy right now. As mentioned before, the federal government has the power to undermine the NBA’s operation.
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