Melbourne Boomers star Tiffany Mitchell calls out Basketball Australia’s ‘racial discrimination’

An American basketballer has accused Basketball Australia of “racial discrimination” for trying to enforce a rule no longer used elsewhere.

Melbourne Boomers star Tiffany Mitchell has called out Basketball Australia, saying they discriminated against her by asking her to tie back her braids under a rule that no longer exists in world basketball.

Following the opening two games of her WNBL career, the 27-year-old American took to Instagram on Sunday after an email from the league threatened to keep players with long braids off the court unless they tied them up.

“I wanted to highlight the following rule. Please make sure to pass this on to all players,” the email, addressed to team general managers, read.

“If a player (male or female) has their hair braided, and it swings free from their head when the head is moved, it may cause harm to another player if struck by the braid. Due to injury that may be caused, players are not permitted on the court with free braids in their hair.”

In a lengthy caption alongside photos of her on the court, Mitchell wrote that she’d experienced “little to none problems” during her first month in Australia, “until this past week [when] I was met with a situation that was clear racial discrimination”.

Mitchell wrote that it was “clear only the Black people in this league has these type of braids”.

“I’ve played all around the world, in every top league at the highest level and my braids has never been an issue. When I approached Basketball Australia with the discomfort it caused me reading and hearing about this email they stood on the fact that it was a fiba [International Basketball Federation] rule they were told to enforce it, but later they reverted because it was actually a rule in fiba that wasn’t even in place anymore,” she added.

“You can clearly see in the second picture before my first game the pain I was still carrying because how are you enforcing a rule that isn’t even a rule anymore, the target I felt I had on my back was undescribable (sic) but still played with all the disappoint (sic) I felt from Basketball Australia.”

She thanked her Boomers teammates and coaching staff for taking a knee during the national anthem before Saturday’s game against the Southside Flyers, to protest the rule.

Tiffany Mitchell during Saturday’s game against the Southside Flyers. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

“Did this change how I still felt inside about the entire situation, no. But it gave me a sense of comfort knowing that the ladies that I suit up with every night had my teammate and I backs,” she wrote.

“Goes to show we have a long way to go for equality all over the world.

“Unfortunate it had to be for these conversations to happen but happy that Basketball Australia is held accountable and become aware of the ignorance that was displayed in this situation.”

Basketball Australia said in a statement it had since “reviewed the rule” and removed it.

“The policy has been deemed discriminatory and inconsistent with Basketball Australia’s Diversity and Inclusion framework by the WNBL Commission,” the statement read.

“It is also not enforced in either the WNBL, other leading professional women’s leagues around the world or international competitions such as the Olympics and World Cup.

“To this end, the WNBL Commission has removed the policy, effective immediately.

“Basketball Australia makes an unreserved apology for any anguish and pain that was caused by this rule.”

Originally published as Melbourne Boomers star Tiffany Mitchell calls out Basketball Australia’s ‘racial discrimination’