FIBA Europe says she can't play

[Mark Padgett]

News story today that FIBA Europe has denied a request from the Israeli women's team to allow Naama Shafir, a point guard and an Orthodox Jewish player, to wear a t-shirt under her jersey. Shafir, who also plays for the University of Toledo, wears it for modesty reasons, as dictated by her religion. Israel appealed the decision for an exemption so she could compete in the upcoming European women's championship tournament, but FIBA Europe held that all players must wear the same uniform. The news story did not say if the ruling would have allowed all the players to wear t-shirts so that all players on the team would be wearing "the same uniform".