Andrew Yang, a candidate for President in 2020, is the only member of the sprawling field in the Democratic primary who regularly tweets about the NBA. While the overlap between basketball fans and likely voters in the Democratic primary is strong, it won't be enough to tip the balance of the election one way or another. But Yang, who regularly polls in the top eight of candidates, continues to spout off his unfiltered NBA takes regardless.
During an appearance on the Off The Pill podcast with Ryan Higa, Yang, a native New Yorker, explained how his basketball allegiance switched from the New York Knicks to the Brooklyn Nets.
Unlike many fans, his rooting interest changed long before the Knicks struck out in free agency this summer as the Nets pulled off arguably the biggest coup of a wild offseason, bringing in two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant and six-time All-Star Kyrie Irving. Yang, whose parents immigrated from Taiwan, turned on the Knicks in 2012 when they opted against bringing Lin, in the wake of “Linsanity,” back in restricted free agency, instead allowing him to sign with the Houston Rockets.
Yang's far less defensible NBA opinion? That the Nets should sign Carmelo Anthony, who hasn't played since early last season after parting ways with the Houston Rockets. This isn't the first time Yang has come to the future Hall-of-Famer's defense, either. He's advocated for Anthony's return to the league on multiple occasions recently, even going so far in late August as to predict Brooklyn would sign him due to Wilson Chandler's 25-game suspension to start the season.
Yang, an entrepreneur with no prior political experience, is running on the premise of universal basic income, a monthly government payout of $1,000 to every American over the age of 18.
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