Mike Bass Rumors

Why doesn’t the NBA do as its brethren and hire K Street help to do its bidding with lawmakers? In a statement, the league contended that it simply didn’t have to pay to sway, at least not in D.C. “As necessary and appropriate, the NBA engages with government officials and speaks publicly regarding matters that affect our sport,” league spokesman Mike Bass said in an email. “In Washington, we have found that members of both parties are open to hearing our point of view directly.”

Asked over email about why he thought the league had ceased its Congressional lobbying, Donatelli, who left McGuireWoods in 2018, pleaded ignorance. “I have not done lobbying for the league for a number of years now, so I can only confirm what you already know but not sure I can share any light on the why,” wrote Donatelli, a former Republican official who also once represented the Washington NFL team. McGuireWoods formally reported the termination of its relationship with the NBA at the end of 2019, although the firm had not shown any client activity for several years by then.