NBA has reached out to State Department regarding immigration ban
The NBA has reached out to the U.S. State Department to determine the implications that president Donald Trump's immigration ban will have on the league.
"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 spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement Saturday. "The NBA is a global league and we are proud to attract the very best players from around the world."
The league has a number of programs and events that recruits and develops young talent throughout the world, including Basketball Without Borders, which is holding a camp at All-Star Weekend next month. There are no players on the invitation list that are from any of the seven banned countries, a league source told The Vertical's Jonathan Givony.
There was concern among NBA circles on Friday that Sudanese Milwaukee Bucks big man Thon Maker would not be able to re-enter the country after traveling to Toronto. However, Maker had no issue clearing customs since he owns an Australian passport, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Luol Deng, who was born in Sudan but is a British citizen, is another player who could be affected under the new ban.
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