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Warriors distance themselves after owner makes controversial comments on Uyghur genocide

Chamath Palihapitiya, Tom Farley
Posted at 7:28 PM, Jan 17, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-17 20:28:48-05

A minority owner of the NBA team Golden State Warriors is facing backlash after his recent comments on a podcast about the treatment of the Uyghurs in China.

According to CNBC and Deadline, billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya said in an episode of his podcast "All-In" that he'd be lying if he cared about the genocide of Uyghur Muslims.

“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs," Palihapitiya said to co-host Jason Calacanis, according to the media outlets. "You bring it up because you really care, and I think that’s nice that you care. The rest of us don’t care. I’m telling you a very hard, ugly truth, okay? Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line.”

According to Deadline, the remark was made after Calacanis praised President Joe Biden’s China policy.

Yahoo! reported that the team is now distancing itself from Palihapitiya, saying in a statement issued Monday that Palihapitiya "does not speak on behalf of their franchise."

"His views certainly don’t reflect those of our organization," the team said.