There’s a rather large fellow that NBA teams are reportedly interested in contacting about possible employment. His name is Hamed Ehadadi, he stands 7-foot-2, and he is an Olympian. There’s just one tiny problem: His country of origin.
From Yahoo! Sports:
In the letter, which was sent Friday, NBA legal counsel wrote: “It has come to our attention that representatives of Hamed Ehadadi, an Iranian basketball player, may be contacting NBA teams to discuss the possibility of signing Mr. Ehadadi to an NBA player contract.
“We have been advised that a federal statue prohibits a person or organization in the United States from engaging in business dealings with Iranian nationals.”
Politics are awesome, no?
On the bright side, though, the Toronto Raptors suddenly have leverage over the rest of the League for the first time ever. Canada! Canada! Canada!
In actuality, though the League is working through the legalities with the U.S. government, no NBA team is presently allowed to negotiate with the marginally talented Ehadadi.
