Warriors Release Statement On Part Owner’s Problematic Comments

Golden State Warriors minority stake owner Chamath Palihapitiya found himself in some very hot water this morning following comments he made about the ongoing Uyghur Muslim genocide in China.

Appearing on All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg, Palihapitiya said that the genocide is “below my line” – to the shock of many and the delight of his ideological opponents. But while many NBA detractors are using this as an excoriation of his political ideology, the Warriors themselves are distancing themselves from Palihapitiya.

In a statement shared by Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, the Warriors made it clear that Palihapitiya does not speak for the franchise. They referred to him as “a limited investor who has no day-to-day operating functions” in the organization.

“As a limited investor who has no day-to-day operating functions with the Warriors, Mr. Palihapitiya does not speak on behalf of our franchise, and his views certainly don’t reflect those of our organization,” the team said.

Chamath Palihapitiya was born in Sri Lanka but emigrated to Canada as a five-year-old refugee. In the early 2000s, he rose to prominence as an executive at Facebook when the company’s early stages.

He parlayed his success at Facebook into a venture capital fund, which grew into a billion dollar company.

With his vast wealth, Palihapitiya joined the investment group in purchasing the Golden State Warriors in 2010. He received a minority stake in the franchise.

But he has also used his money to enter the political sphere, donating to both Republicans and Democrats.

He didn’t make any new allies in either camp today.

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