The owner of Washington’s NBA and NHL franchises has received a formal letter from the chair of a powerful congressional committee, urging him to end all business dealings with Alibaba — the Chinese technology giant now fighting a Pentagon label that brands it a military-linked company.
Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., who chairs the U.S. House Select Committee on China, directed the letter to Ted Leonsis, head of Monumental Sports & Entertainment — the company behind the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals. “I would appreciate your confirmation that MSE will discontinue or has already discontinued any ongoing business relationship with Alibaba and its affiliates,” Moolenaar wrote.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter, which points to the U.S. Defense Department’s recent decision to place Alibaba on a list of companies designated as Chinese military entities. According to the Pentagon, Alibaba’s mission includes supporting China’s “military-civil fusion” strategy. Leonsis and his organization have until July 15 to respond to the request.
Alibaba has taken legal action to challenge its placement on the Pentagon’s list, which currently includes 188 entities — ranging from state-run defense contractors to private technology firms. The growing list reflects deepening concerns among U.S. officials about Beijing’s efforts to leverage private-sector companies for military advantage.
Representatives for Monumental Sports & Entertainment did not provide a response when contacted by the AP for comment.
MSE is not the only American professional sports organization with financial connections to Alibaba. Joseph Tsai, the owner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and the WNBA’s New York Liberty, was one of the company’s co-founders when it launched in 1999.
The House committee, which was established in 2023, has previously weighed in on sports-related matters. In 2024, Moolenaar and the committee’s ranking Democratic member, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., wrote to the International Olympic Committee expressing concern about how the World Anti-Doping Agency handled a case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for performance-enhancing substances.
The committee also sent a letter last year to the then-secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, raising alarms about Alibaba’s sponsorship arrangement with the IOC and whether it could lead Los Angeles Olympics organizers to enter into agreements with the tech company. That letter also noted that the Paris Olympics had moved to limit Alibaba’s involvement in those Games.
Shortly after the committee’s letter was sent, Los Angeles Olympic organizers revealed that Google — one of Alibaba’s major competitors — had been selected as the official cloud technology provider for the upcoming Games.
