TRAVEL BAN BRINGS QUESTIONS, ANGER
The NBA continues to seek clarification from the U.S. Department of State about how President Trump’s executive order suspending immigration and visas for citizens from certain countries affects its players.
The order led to uncertainty and anxiety in the sports world.
“We have reached out to the State Department and are in the process of gathering information to understand how this executive order would apply to players in our league who are from one of the impacted countries,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.
“The NBA is a global league, and we are proud to attract the very best players from around the world.”
Los Angeles Lakers forward Luol Deng and Milwaukee Bucks rookie Thon Maker were born in Sudan (now South Sudan), and Sudan citizens have been banned entry into the United States for 90 days, according to the order.
South Sudan is not on the list, but it is unclear if South Sudanese born in Sudan are subject to the ban. Deng is also a British citizen, and Maker has dual citizenship in Australia and South Sudan.
The Bucks played the Toronto Raptors on Friday, and Maker had no issue clearing customs using his Australian passport on his return to the USA from Canada.
The Bucks and Lakers do not play in Toronto for the rest of the season.
The executive order has affected Americans playing in Iran’s top pro league, according to Yahoo Sports. Joseph Jones and J.P. Prince are stranded in Dubai after Iran banned U.S. citizens’ entry into that country in response to Trump’s order.
‘SAD AND EMBARRASSED’ Michael Bradley, who has scored 15 goals as captain of the U.S. men’s soccer team, said on Twitter he was “sad and embarrassed” about the travel ban on citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from entering the country.
“When Trump was elected, I only hoped President Trump would be different than the campaigner Trump. That the xenophobic, misogynistic and narcissistic rhetoric would be replaced with a more humble and measured approach to leading our country. I was wrong. And the Muslim ban is just the latest example of someone who couldn’t be more out of touch with our country and the right way to move forward.”
‘MADE ME AN ALIEN’ Mo Farah, the British middledistance runner who has won four Olympic gold medals, is originally from Somalia. After the executive order was signed, Farah explained on Facebook his dismay: “On 1st January this year, Her Majesty The Queen made me a Knight of the Realm. On 27th January, President Donald Trump seems to have made me an alien. ... I am a Brit- ish citizen who has lived in America for the past six years ... Now, me and many others like me are being told that we may not be welcome.” ‘NOT A DICTATORSHIP’ Several players from Sudan or South Sudan are on American college and high school rosters, including 7-1 sophomore center Chol Marial from Cheshire (Conn.). Marial, ranked No. 3 in the Class of 2019 by ESPN, is also from South Sudan. He came to the USA as an eighth-grader and enrolled at West Oaks Academy in Orlando. Marial, 17, has dominated the New England prep basketball circuit since then, and his coach has said Marial could be the top pick in the 2020 NBA draft. Asked whether he was concerned about how the president’s executive order could affect Marial, Cheshire coach Kevin Kehoe told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday: “Why would I be worried? I live in the United States of America.”
Kehoe pointed to the federal judge’s ruling in New York that blocked part of the executive order, preventing authorities from removing individuals from the seven countries who had arrived in U.S. airports after the order was issued.
“What Donald Trump signed has nothing to do with Chol Marial,” Kehoe said. “As much as people don’t want to believe it, this is still a democracy. It’s not a dictatorship.
“Donnie can sign whatever he wants, but this is still the United States of America.”
U.S. IN IRAN? U.S. wrestlers have qualified for a Freestyle World Cup scheduled in Tehran on Feb. 16-17. There’s no update from USA Wrestling on whether Trump’s policy will affect Americans competing in Iran.