FOX Sports 1 journalist Jason Whitlock connects the dots on how Nike influences the NBA and the athletic apparel company's relationship with China.



"I'm going to try to explain this," Whitlock said Friday on FNC's 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.' "It's very simple actually. Nike is in control of basketball -- the NBA, college basketball, high school. Nike is the real person driving this conversation in this thing with China. If you go back to -- and I'm going to connect it to politics -- in 2015, in May of 2015, President Barack Obama went to Nike's headquarters in Portland, Oregon and announced his defense of the TPP - Trans-Pacific Partnership."





"A deal that was going to be very favorable for Nike, for China," he said. "Who is the President that came after Obama and walked America away from the TPP? Donald Trump. Who is the shoe company that employs LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick and these other athletes that smear Donald Trump as racist? Who are the people constantly criticizing Donald Trump? NBA, Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich."



"The NBA answers to Nike," Whitlock declared. "Nike is a $40 billion business. The NBA is an $8 billion business. President Obama, the basketball President, friendly relationship with the NBA, went to Nike's headquarters to announce his defense of the TPP."



"This thing is very simple. This is about money," he said.



"This is about a President that won't cooperate with what Nike wants done," Whitlock said on FNC. "Nike is using the NBA and its leverage over the NBA to go after this guy because they disagree with him about his policies as it relates to trade in China. It's very simple."





TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS: Jason Whitlock is actually willing to speak his mind. So naturally, he hosts FS One's "Speak for Yourself," which he does. He joins us tonight. Jason, thanks so much for coming on.



The NBA had this stumble a couple of days ago at the beginning of this story, this story about China, and you thought maybe they would recover and do the obvious, really the only thing which is to take the side of America, but they still haven't, why?



JASON WHITLOCK, FOX SPORTS ONE HOST: Tucker, I really want to put you and your audience on the cutting edge of this discussion. Stick with me here.



CARLSON: Yes.



WHITLOCK: I'm going to try to explain this. It's very simple actually. Nike is in control of basketball -- the NBA, college basketball, high school. Nike is the real person driving this conversation in this thing with China.



If you go back to -- and I'm going to connect it to politics -- in 2015, in May of 2015, President Barack Obama went to Nike's headquarters in Portland, Oregon and announced his defense of the TPP - Trans-Pacific Partnership.



CARLSON: That's right.



WHITLOCK: A deal that was going to be very favorable for Nike, for China. Who is the President that came after Obama and walked America away from the TPP? Donald Trump. Who is the shoe company that employs LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick and these other athletes that smear Donald Trump as racist? Who are the people constantly criticizing Donald Trump? NBA, Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich.



The NBA answers to Nike. Nike is a $40 billion business. The NBA is an $8 billion business. President Obama, the basketball President, friendly relationship with the NBA, went to Nike's headquarters to announce his defense of the TPP.



This thing is very simple. This is about money. This is about a President that won't cooperate with what Nike wants done. Nike is using the NBA and its leverage over the NBA to go after this guy because they disagree with him about his policies as it relates to trade in China. It's very simple.



CARLSON: That is a very fascinating -- that is a fascinating story and I guess it makes you wonder if Nike is calling the shots -- I mean, so the NBA is not basically you're saying an independent organization. I mean, they're truly beholden to just one company.



WHITLOCK: The NBA answers to Nike. The NBA answers to Nike. Basketball exists to sell shoes. Nike has, I think, 92 to 93 percent of the basketball market in America. It owns American Basketball.



Nike is the real bully in the ring here. They are influencing American culture. They are addicted to the market in China. They have the relationships that can't -- they've got 1.4 billion people over there that Nike needs to sell shoes to.



Nike's use of Asian labor -- inexpensive. This has been documented for years. This is a huge --



CARLSON: So why does nobody say that? I mean, I believe what you're saying because there's nobody -- I mean, I'm just being honest. I don't trust anyone on these questions -- than you.



WHITLOCK: Oh, you can look it up. These are facts.



CARLSON: But why wouldn't we discuss this? Why are you one of the only people making this point? I mean, there are lots of people covering sports out there. Why does nobody say this?



WHITLOCK: Because most people are looking at the low-hanging fruit. Most people are trying to please their Twitter feed more than be journalists and just go look at the facts.



And so American journalists, we're so addicted to Twitter and being retweeted and liked and going viral. And so smearing Trump and getting in a feud with Trump is the easiest way.



And look, Nike does a hell of a job of managing its relationship with the American sports media. They do a hell of a job. They're very nice to the American sports media.



Look, ESPN, they have a relationship with the NBA. They needed to be very successful. There's no real incentive to go look for the facts. And the facts are so obvious.



I'm begging you, people watching at home, your producers, punch it into Google. It's all there. Obama, May 2015 at Nike's headquarters, why did he choose Nike's headquarters to announce your defense of the TPP? Go look it up where President Trump has been on the TPP. He is the guy against it.



It all makes sense. It's all obvious.



CARLSON: Nike controls the NBA and at the same time speaks for the government of China. An amazing -- an amazing story. And I hope our viewers will be checking it out. They probably are, even as we're speaking. Jason Whitlock. Thank you for that.



WHITLOCK: Thank you, Tucker.