WATCH: Barstool’s Dave Portnoy Catches Ben Shapiro Off Guard By Saying the NBA is the Sports League With the Brightest Future

As the NBA becomes increasingly vocal on social issues, they’ve been repeatedly slammed by their detractors. One of those critics, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, appeared to be taken surprised when Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy said the NBA is the professional sports league with the brightest future for growth.

Shapiro countered Portnoy during their conversation on The Daily Wire, noting the NBA’s many critics who believe the league and its players are too political.

“You got major players in the NBA who are spending all day talking about how much America is a systemically racist country while pulling down $50 million a year. Who are talking about wage differentials, while women in the WNBA are making $250,000 a year when they’re making $49 million a year.”

Portnoy didn’t argue the point, agreeing that the NBA and LeBron James have hypocrisies surrounding their social stances, led by their willingness to do business with China. Despite working to better their own communities, the NBA has been strongly criticized for sneaker deals with Chinese companies who openly utilize slave labor.

Portnoy supported his claim that the NBA is set up for success by saying they have, in Adam Silver, professional sports’ best commissioner. The Barstool Sports impresario also cited the NBA’s internet prowess compared to other leagues.

The NBA has been very open in allowing their highlights to be shared on social media — a practice other leagues place more restrictions on. Silver previously said the NBA believes sharing highlights encourages fans to be more interested in viewing live games.

Recently, the NBA experienced a downturn in TV ratings. But even though the 2019-20 season concluded with a major dip in their TV audience, video views on social media reached 20 billion, an increase of 17 percent from the year before.

Watch above via, The Daily Wire

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