American lawmakers are pushing for the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association to cut ties with Chinese gear companies that allegedly use forced labor. The Congressional-Executive Commission on China claims that these Chinese companies committed human rights violations and employed the use of forced labor in their supply chains. These companies are located in China’s Xinjiang region, and investigations by the United States government have found genocide against minority groups in the area. US law prevents imports from this region, and the commission is asking the NBA and professional basketball players to stop using gear made by the brands Anta, Peak, and Li-Ning, which have allegedly been connected to the use of forced labor. The NBA is currently deciding on a course of action that will balance US-China relations and human rights concerns voiced by the US government.
See "US lawmakers are seeking to ban NBA gear produced by Chinese companies, due to forced labor allegations", Richard Vanderford, The Wall Street Journal, October 4, 2023