The NBA has contacted the U.S. State Department to "try to determine how" President Trump's executive order suspending immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries could "potentially impact the league." Bucks F Thon Maker and Lakers F Luol Deng have Sudanese roots, and the league "does a significant amount of work overseas through its Basketball Without Borders program." While a judge "granted a request" from the ACLU to stay the order last night, it "remains to be seen if the order will wind up having an impact on either Deng or Maker as the season progresses" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/29).
Trump's executive order "could have a wide impact on international sports," including "threatening the chances" of L.A. hosting the '24 Games and of the U.S. securing the FIFA World Cup in '26. Sports officials "struggled to understand the implications of Trump's executive order, including the question of whether athletes from the targeted nations could enter" the U.S. to compete, "especially in the initial 90-day period of the ban" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/29). USA TODAY's Nancy Armour tweeted, "Remember the IOC Refugee Team that we all found so inspiring at the Rio Games? Yeah. They wouldn't be allowed in US today" (TWITTER.com, 1/28).
