NBA stars toe awkward line in response to Mbappe's offer

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

NBA stars toe awkward line in response to Kylian Mbappe's offer

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 7/24/23

Would NBA stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green and LeBron James ever really play in Saudi Arabia? A once preposterous question has a lot more validity to it after news of soccer star Kylian Mbappe's record-setting offer to play for Al Hilal became public.

In fact, Antetkounmpo, Green and James joked about happily accepting a hypothetical offer if one ever presented itself.

Al Hilal you can take me. I look like Kylian Mbappe pic.twitter.com/VH0syez3VX
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) July 24, 2023

They got basketball leagues too right? I don’t the ink on my contract has dried up yet
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) July 25, 2023

Me headed to Saudi when they call @RichPaul4 & @mavcarter for that 1 year deal! ✌‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/IX0VSMZYNb
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 25, 2023

No, we shouldn't really worry about them tearing up their NBA contracts and agreeing to play in a Saudi-funded league. But the casual jokes about embracing Saudi money with open arms rubbed some the wrong way.

This, LeBron’s tweet…this is what sportswashing looks like when it’s successful. Saudi money is now a meme https://t.co/g9EV4XFXtR
— Yaron Weitzman (@YaronWeitzman) July 25, 2023

This isn’t great https://t.co/ambo9Z3ogt
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) July 25, 2023

The NBA isn't a monolith. Antetokounmpo, Green and James don't represent everyone when they casually joke about taking money from Saudi Arabia. But as three of the most high-profile players in the league, it's a sign of how successful the Public Investment Fund's been at sportswashing Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses.

LIV Golf was the tip of the iceberg in getting Saudi Arabia a seat at the table of a professional sports league. The PIF has an incredible $650B in assets. To put that in perspective, the NFL and NBA have a combined revenue of roughly $29B.

What's preventing Saudi Arabia from doing what it did in golf with the NBA? In the NFL, could a floundering developmental league such as the USFL or XFL receive an olive branch from the PIF, attracting high-profile NFL players?

Years ago, those questions would get someone laughed out of a room, just like the idea of NBA players joking about accepting Saudi money for social media likes. The world of sports is changing. Anything is on the table.

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