Kanye West’s Donda Academy Basketball Team Kicked Out Of Tournament

A significant basketball tournament has dropped Kanye West’s Donda Academy team. TMZ reports that the Scholastic Play-By-Play Classics announced they would be axing Ye’s team from the season’s schedule, citing his recent pattern of hurtful language as their motivation.

Scholastic released a statement regarding their decision, stating that the former billionaire’s “words and actions violate our values as a company and a country” and that they wanted to ensure “a spirit of diversity, sportsmanship, inclusion, equity, and mutual respect” at their events.

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The statement continued, speaking to their tough decision and expressing their sympathy to the kids on the squad who’ll miss out “as a result of Kanye’s actions.”

“While we are firm in our reasoning for this decision, it does not diminish our heartache and regret for Donda’s hardworking athletes who will lose out the most as a result of Kanye’s actions. Unfortunately, we cannot in good conscience host an organization founded and directed by Mr. West at our events.”

Before the tournament decided to boot the team from play, Donda Academy was initially set to appear in the Dec. 11 event in Louisville.

The Play-By-Play Classics tournament has major implications for players who dream of playing on a professional scale one day. NBA stars such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant have previously participated in the massive tourney.

Donda Academy’s basketball program includes five-star guards Robert Dillingham and AJ Johnson. According to ESPN, Dillingham, the No.5 recruit in the 2023 Basketball class, recently committed to the University of Kentucky.

Donda Sports took another recent hit due to Ye’s anti-semitic language as well. NBA superstar Jaylen Brown and NFL champion Aaron Donald have both cut ties with Donda Sports. The athletes took to Twitter on Tuesday (Oct. 25) to denounce the artist’s recent use of divisive language.

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