Deadspin relates the news today that the Iranian National Men's basketball team, already training here in the U.S., will participate in a series of exhibition games with National Basketball Association's summer league teams in Salt Lake City, Utah. How did this come about? Apparently, there exist significant factions inside Iran that want to breed goodwill with the United States or something!
In addition to the hometown Utah Jazz, there'll be rookie teams representing the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs. U.S. officials believe that the request came from the highest levels in Iran, and is part of an attempt by Iran to tamp down tensions between the two countries. In fact, Iranian officials told NBC News that hardliners in the Islamic Republic opposed the overture.
But moderates in the Iranian government prevailed. The Iranian officials said that moderates in the government have been trying to set something like this up for two years. Iranian officials add that the basketball team is already in the U.S. training for the games.
Surely John McCain must murder these athletes, with cigarettes.