The Toronto Raptors are on a roll this year, not only did they become the first Canadian team to win an NBA Championship but now they are also making history by becoming the first NBA team to have their own official NBA branded hijab for Muslim women in sports.
The Raptors announced the big news on Twitter Friday saying, ”Inspired by those brave enough to change the game. The Toronto Raptors Nike Pro Hijab is available now”.
The team announced the new performance hijab along with a video that featured Toronto’s own ‘Hijabi Ballers’, which a local non-profit group of young Muslim women in Toronto who play basketball and advocate for increased participation of Muslim women in sports.
“Basketball is integral to our growing community in this cultural mosaic of a city. It allows us to come together and play, feel confident in our abilities and be celebrated for who we are,” wrote the Hijabi Ballers on Instagram. “We couldn’t be more proud of our athletes and their contribution to changing the culture around sport in the city, and a huge THANK YOU to @raptors for recognizing that.”
If a Nike branded hijab seems pretty familiar to you, that’s because it is. Nike actually launched their first performance hijab designed for female Muslim athletes back in 2017 and now the Raptors will have a special version in partnership with the brand.
