Two American players in Iran stranded

JP Prince. AP

Two American basketball players, Joseph Jones and JP Prince, who are playing in the Iran Super League are stranded in Dubai after Iran imposed bans to United States citizens from entering the country.

In a report by Chris Mannix of The Vertical, Jones and Prince were prohibited from returning to Iran, where they play professionally for Azad University Tehran.

Eric Fleisher, the players’ agents, shared that the two were on a team-funded break in Dubai when US President Donald Trump signed the executive order barring refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-dominated countries, including Iran, from entering United States territory.

In retaliation, the Iran government issued the same ban to US citizens, with Jones and Prince not spared from the law and found themselves stuck in Dubai.

“At the moment they are stranded,” Fleisher said. “It’s a real hardship.”

Azad University Tehran management have had talks with the government on possibly softening its stance and resolving the issue, but as of now, fixing these problems seem to be still far off.

Both Jones and Prince could lose at least six figures in salary if they are unable to finish the season.

“We are waiting for clarity from the team,” Fleisher said. “It’s tough. It doesn’t look like they can finish the season in Iran. It’s not good to be out of a job. Secondarily, all their things are in Iran. They can’t go back and get them. It’s been difficult.”

Jones, a 6-foot-8 big man out of Texas A&M, and Prince, a 6-foot-7 forward who suited up for Arizona and Tennessee, are in their first seasons in the Iran league.