India's first NBA draftee Satnam Singh attends 'Sikh Kid 2 Kid' fundraiser in Maryland

Before he made history by becoming the first Indian player to be drafted into the NBA, before be began to play for the D-League's Texas Legends, and before he became a role model to South Asian basketball lovers around the world, Satnam Singh was just a Sikh child from a small village in Punjab, trying to realize his hoop dream at basketball camps in Ludhiana, and turn his humble opportunity into an unlikely success story.

Years later, Satnam did just that, and during his first professional offseason, the 20-year-old big man used his time to inspire the next generation of young Sikhs to make the most of their opportunities.

On Saturday, May 21st, Satnam Singh attended the first-ever fundraiser for Sikh Kid 2 Kid (SK2K), an organization made up of the Sikh youth in the DMV region, at the RockVille SportPlex in Maryland. The fundraiser featured basketball and football tournaments as well as carnival games, raffles and food. Maryland House Delegate Aruna Miller also attended the fundraiser to support SK2K's cause. Satnam played basketball with the youth, comprising of a group of kids of all backgrounds intermingling with the local Sikh community.

"In India, there are a lot of players who can make the NBA, but they don't have the chance," Satnam said, "They need the opportunity. If you have access to the opportunities and the facilities here, make sure to use it."

"I had always made it my goal to be the first Indian to be drafted into the NBA," he added. "Now, my goal is to play in an NBA game."

Miller, the first South Asian delegate from the city, also spoke to the kids and educated them about the democratic process. She later added that Satnam was a trail blazer in his field and was able to be a different type of role model for South Asians.

Sikh Kid 2 Kid’s wide variety of projects include students training teachers to create culturally accepting environments in their classrooms, facilitating workshops to help render positive body image among the youth, and educational camps for weekly online English classes to underprivileged children back in Punjab. In order to battle Punjab’s drug epidemic, SK2K is also designing and implementing a drug prevention programme for the region.

The "All Turban" basketball game & hundreds of peaceful protests against FIBA's "No Headgear" rule

Remember when the International Basketball Association - FIBA - freaked out and barred a couple of Sikh Indian basketball players from playing with their turbans on at the FIBA Asia Cup in July? Remember when that happened again a month later at the U18 FIBA Asia Championship in Qatar and India's Anmol Singh had to remove his turban before playing in international basketball games? Remember how they unnecessarily delayed their decision on the turban/headgear bans? While the rest of the world seems to be fine with recognizing the traditional Sikh headgear as a part of the community's culture, FIBA is somehow still stuck considering the harmless - yet important - piece of cloth a 'threat'.

Photo via BaruSahib.org

In that case, FIBA officials would've found plenty to feel 'threatened' about in Sirmore a couple of days ago.

In an awesome display of the power of the peaceful protest against FIBA, the Kalgidhar Society on Wednesday, September 10 hosted an "All Turban" basketball game at their Akal Academy in Sirmore (Himachal Pradesh). Special guest at the game was Anmol Singh - India's under-18 player who was forced by FIBA officials to remove his headgear before getting to play at the U18 FIBA Asia Championship in Doha last month. Students from the academy - all in patkas (turbans) - took part in the game and as the audience with Anmol.

This might be shocking to some FIBA officials, but no players were hurt and no harm was caused despite all the turbans involved.

Photo via BaruSahib.org

The game at Sirmore was the final event in the first phase of Kalgidhar Society's massive pan-North India protest against FIBA: similar protest matches have already been held over the last few days at the society’s 128 other Akal Academies spread across the hinterland of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Apart from approaching FIBA and basketball officials in India, Kalgidhar Society has also filed an online petition against FIBA through Change.org on July 26. The petition #LetSikhsPlay has been supported by around 68,000 persons from across the globe so far. Sports legends like Milkha Singh, Bishen Singh Bedi and eminent personalities from music and culture like Daler Mehndi, Yo Yo Honey Singh etc. too have backed the campaign.

Commenting on controversy, Anmol Singh said, “I was shocked by the discriminatory behaviour of FIBA’s officials at Doha. It is a pity that FIBA continues to be adamant despite the global protest. US Congressmen have also pointed out that no such discrimination happens in American football. How can a turban hurt anybody?”

Photo via BaruSahib.org

Kalgidhar Society’s head Baba Iqbal Singh, 89, who was agriculture director of Himachal Pradesh government previously, said, “Rules are meant to conduct games harmoniously not to divide people. If we see the divine in every being, there will be peace and brotherhood which are desperately needed in the modern world. We should be empathetic to the sensitivities and feelings of all. This can put an end to all quarrels, controversies and wars.”

During FIBA's Central Board meeting at Seville on the eve of the Basketball World Cup (August 27), the committee decided to shelf any decision on its controversial 'Headgear' ruling - Article 4.4.2 of FIBA's official basketball rules - that has denied people of Sikh, Muslim, or Jewish cultures from wearing their traditional headgear (like turban, hijab, or yarmulkes). The official FIBA statement read: "On the subject of a review of the basketball rules regarding headgear, because of the importance of the matter, the Central Board decided that it requires further analysis before a final decision is made."

FIBA also elected a new chairman and several new board members at the World Cup. This new board is set to have their first official meeting tomorrow (September 13): they need to treat this matter with the decency and urgency that it deserves.

Hopefully some of these voices and images of protest reach FIBA so they can realize that playing with turbans or hijab is quite normal indeed with no hint of a 'threat'. The only threat they need to erase is from their own prejudiced thought process.

FIBA forces India's Sikh basketball players to ditch their turbans at Asia Cup

While India's surprising success at the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan (China) has been a complete team effort, a special nod should be given towards the country's formidable frontcourt, which has perplexed opponents on both ends of the floor so far. India have relied particularly on 6-foot-10 Amrit Pal Singh (23) and 6-foot-8 Amjyot Singh (22), both players who have developed out of Punjab's great basketball academies. The former has been one of the tournament's best defensive players and the latter has been among India's scoring leaders.

Before the tournament began, it was clear that the two players would have to be at the top of their respective games for India to have a chance at defeating some of the more fancied Asian opponents. And yet, when the team took the floor for their first game against Japan on Saturday evening, Amrit Pal and Amjyot were out of the starting lineup.

Their omission had nothing to do with their form, their health, or their behaviour. And it had everything to do with their religion - or, more precisely - on FIBA's misunderstanding of their religious customs.

Amjyot and Amrit Pal are both of the Sikh religion, and for those who may be unaware, it is part of a strict code of conduct for Sikhs to a). not cut their hair and b). keep their hear covered under a turban so it can be in its natural, unaltered state. Like people of any religion or custom, Sikhs can't be generalized and not all of them follow the custom closely. Some cut their hair, some don't wear turbans, while some follow every strict code of conduct by the book. Turban or no turban, millions of Sikhs seem to be getting along around the world just fine - in most cases. Amjyot and Amrit Pal both play basketball with their turbans on; Amrit Pal only began wearing his turban a few years ago, Amjyot has worn it all his life. Both had taken part in various FIBA basketball events at home and abroad and their headgear had presented no issue in the past.

Until Saturday. For the first time, FIBA officials at the Japan-India game decided to invoke FIBA's "No Headgear" rule in an international game. Neither Amjyot and Amrit Pal could start the game, since they both had to scramble to open their turbans and then tie their hair back using a headband of some sort. They finally checked in two minutes later, but the roughly tied hair was uncomfortable for both of them, and additionally, the referees stopped them several times to show if their hair was fine. Both reported after the game that it felt awkward to play this way. India went on to lose that game by 20 points, but there were a variety of other reasons beyond hair-troubles for our top big men that led to that defeat.

Rules are rules, and Article 4.4.2 of FIBA’s Official Basketball Rules states, "Players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may cause injury to other players," a list that includes headgear like turbans, hijab, etc. But India claim that they were misled about the implementation of this rule. A day before the tournament, India's Head Coach Scott Flemming had been given an affirmative from FIBA Asia officials that the Sikhs in his team could keep their turbans on for the game - but before the game itself, the officials changed their minds and disturbed not just the two players in question but also Team India's flow before the game.

"I spent a long time advocating for our players the day before the Japan game and finally thought we got the ok for [them] to wear their turbans," Flemming told me a few days after the incident, "I was then told right before the game there was a misunderstanding on what we agreed to. I again pleaded for our players on this ruling. Finally, the FIBA official made the ruling and we had no choice. I would never make our players do anything they were uncomfortable with according to their religious practices. It was up to them. They both decided to adjust to play in the game. It was disruptive but I thought they both handled it well."

Flemming added, "I am personally against a rule like this that infringes on someones religious beliefs that does not cause any harm to others. [But] it's is a FIBA rule."

A few weeks ago, Habeeba Husain on SLAMOnline.com had argued for the case for allowing hijab for Muslim basketball players, and on the ludicrous notion that FIBA has felt that small pieces of cloth worn to signify religious identity could pose a threat to anyone. One could make the same argument for turbans - they are a part of the lifelong identity and a matter of pride for many of these individuals, and asking them to play without it is not only insulting to them emotionally but also a deterrent to their regular habits of physical comfort.

"We have always played in turbans, even in last year's FIBA Asia Championship in Manila," said Amrit Pal, "But playing in the Japan game without it felt very awkward. I wear a turban in practice, too, and it was strange to not have it on during the game."

Amjyot, who had never experienced playing basketball without his turban, was disturbed, too. "It felt very bad that they did this right before the game, even after our coaches had felt that we had the permission to keep our turbans on," he said, "At least, eventually, they let us fix it with a band, but even that felt very awkward. In the China game, I tied my hair back with rubber-bands to make it hold on tighter. But I find it to be much more comfortable playing with turban, of course - that is part of my habit."

By the time the China game came around, both players had found a temporary fix for their hair, and on-court, they fixed the basketball issues, too. Both of them started: Amjyot was the leading scorer in the game as India defeated China for the first time in its basketball history. Amrit Pal was a beast on the defensive end, and made life extremely uncomfortable for Chinese bigs such as Zhou Qi. A day later, India continued their bright form to blow out Indonesia. They lost to Iran in today's last group stage game, but still qualified for the Quarter-Finals.

Now, India finds itself in the Quarter-Finals with dreams to go even further. And both our big long-haired Sikh superstars will be an integral part of realizing that dream, with or without their turbans.

But more importantly for their culture and for their beliefs, we hope they earn some respect to make the rest of the basketball world realize that it's not Indians' headgear they should fear; it's their game.

UPDATE: Simran Jeet Singh & SALDEF have responded with #LetSikhsPlay campaign. Basketball shouldn't discriminate on basis of harmless cultural insignia like turbans or hijab