Few moments in life hit Jamal Mayali deeper in his soul than when he’s on the basketball court, repping Palestine on the world stage.
“I was blessed with such a beautiful gift that I’ve been able to do this — especially for as long as I have, alhamdulillah,” he told The Athletic Ummah.
The 25-year-old shooting guard has been a key player for Palestine’s national basketball team since debuting in Feb. 2021. He’s regularly among their top scorers and has inspired them to some key victories in recent years.
He’s always worn the love of his country on his sleeve, and he’s felt especially attached to Palestine in the months since Israel began its brutal assault on Gaza in Oct. 2023.
As his fellow countrymen and women fight to survive against Israel’s relentless attacks, he’s trying to rally his nation through basketball.
“I always say sports is, like, the greatest platform to reach people in general,” he said.
“Whether it’s soccer, basketball … the new generation of [Palestinians] has a lot of talent, and now it’s just a matter of showcasing that as best as we can.”
“I need to do the best I can every single day to honour my friends, my family, all of them in Falasteen.”
Jamal Mayali, Palestinian basketball player
One of the best ways to promote that talent is by qualifying for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup. Mayali and Palestine are currently in the final round of qualifiers, in Group D with Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
The top two teams in the group automatically qualify for the competition, with third place battling for one of the last four spots in the Saudi Arabia-hosted tournament.
Palestine dropped their Feb. 23 opener 73-46 to Jordan, though Mayali scored a game-high 20 points and a team-high 3 assists. Three days later, they lost to Iraq 75-72 — Mayali again led his team in points scored (21) and assists (6).
Although Palestine is dealing with a lack of a proper training camp due to the situation in Gaza, Mayali is confident the team can challenge for a spot in the continental competition.
“It’s all in Allah’s (s.w.t.) hands and we just have to make do with what we have and show up with no excuses,” he said.
‘Our land loves us so much’
Jamal Mayali’s strong connection to Palestine started when he was a child. Growing up in Toronto, Canada, Mayali said he was often the only Palestinian kid in his friend groups and sports clubs.
But that never weighed on Mayali’s shoulders. On the contrary, he said being Palestinian empowered him.
“I just felt like being Palestinian was my superpower,” he said.
He credits his parents for instilling a love of the motherland into him. His parents are Palestinian, and they taught him to be proud of his identity.
“I think my first protest, I was like 5 [or] 6 years old,” he said. “So my mom specifically was very adamant on knowing our history, understanding where we come from and being proud of where we come from.”
Knowing Palestine’s history has helped Mayali grow more attached to his roots.
“It hits you so deep in your heart,” he said. “No wonder why we are so adamant and so stubborn on never giving any ounce of our land away.”
“It’s just too beautiful, too amazing. Our land loves us so much, more than we love it.”
Unfortunately, most Western governments like Canada were — and still are — staunch supporters of Israel’s occupation of Palestine, and that sometimes made Mayali feel alone.
That’s why his dad, a martial artist, taught Mayali and his siblings to be proud of their background, no matter who or what was backing them.
“He always emphasized confidence, self-discipline, strength in your character and also in your physical capabilities,” Mayali said.
Those traits were especially important for Mayali to internalize because of Palestine’s history. From the Nakba to today, Mayali said Palestinians could never rely on anyone else to help them. So it’s important for Palestinians to be confident in their identity and their place in the world.
“At the end of the day, no one gives a s**t about you,” he said. “It’s you versus you at the end of the day, and that was the mindset that I had even as a very young boy.”
Had he not internalized the Palestinian qualities, history and culture his parents taught him, Mayali says he wouldn’t be the man he is today.
“I’m not the biggest, strongest, fastest, most athletic guy, not even the smartest,” he said. “But I know that mentally, I’m not afraid of anyone or anything. You can put me in any situation and … I will believe that I’m the best.”
‘Islam is everything’
On top of his Palestinian identity, Jamal Mayali proudly represents Islam on the basketball court.
“Islam is everything for me,” he said.
It can sometimes be hard to hold onto one’s Islamic faith in a non-Muslim country, as some major sins are not only normalized but even encouraged in the West.
But while he doesn’t see himself as a perfect Muslim, Mayali says he always commits himself to the faith, whether it’s in athletics, school or his personal life.
He credits his parents for teaching him Islam in a way that made it easy for him to follow it.
“Growing up, Islam was present, bas my parents emphasized qualities and characteristics … and how to be a good human being first,” he said. “So being kind, being selfless, being disciplined, being reliable, responsible [and] accountable.”
“Even in times of hardship, I never questioned my eman. … My faith never deterred, and I don’t believe it will, ever.”
Mayali
That’s not to say prayers and fasting weren’t a part of Mayali’s upbringing. Rather, his parents also emphasized being a good human being beyond the prayer rug.
So when Mayali got to an age where he could comprehend the deeper meaning behind actions like prayers, the basketball player said he didn’t find it hard to adhere to the tenets of the faith.
“In a way, my parents kind of had this weird trick of just showing me how to be a good human being — but being a good human being is being a Muslim,” he said.
“So when I got to a certain age, I just realized … I’m not just saying I’m a Muslim. Like, no, like I believe in my Muslimhood because of the way I carry myself.”
Thanks to his upbringing, Mayali says he’s been “blessed” with the opportunity to fall deeply in love with Islam — in a way he wouldn’t have had he only been taught the religion scripturally.
“Alhamdulillah, I believe that was one of the gifts that I’ve received from my lesson with Allah (s.w.t.), that I’ve been able to fall in love with him and all of his teachings so deeply and with such ease throughout my life,” he said.
“Even in times of hardship, I never questioned my eman. … My faith never deterred, and I don’t believe it will, ever.”
Honouring Palestinians
Unfortunately, being Palestinian means there are a lot of hard times to navigate through, especially as of late.
When Israel began their assault on Gaza in Oct. 2023, Jamal Mayali was playing for a team in France — a country that’s been accused of being Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian. He said he had to put a brave fan on, despite some of the racist and Islamophobic rhetoric he was subjected to.
But his experience is nothing compared to what some of his teammates and friends were going through in Gaza, Mayali said.
“They’re literally being massacred, yet we’re over here in the West — and we have our own struggles, sah. But it pales in comparison to them,” he said.
One of his friends, Mayali explained, had left the Gaza Strip before Oct. 7, but his wife, mother and kids were still stuck in the exclave. He was supposed to return on Oct. 8, but because of increased border security after Oct. 7, Mayali’s friend wasn’t permitted to re-enter Gaza.
He’s been stuck on the border ever since, trying to figure out how to get back in.
“It weighs heavy on my heart because … they’re going through something so traumatic and so different, that I’ve never been able to imagine that in my life,” he said.
Mayali said the Palestinian grief is a shared experience, even if one has no family stuck in the Gaza Strip. There are recurring feelings of guilt and frustration for not being able to help those stuck underneath Israel’s bombardment.
That’s why playing for Palestine’s national team is so important for Mayali. It’s his way of giving back to his motherland — and his teammates from Gaza have let him know how much they appreciate his efforts on the court.
“It just gave me this sense of motivation when they tell me, ‘Jamal, what you’re doing means something because you’re highlighting Falasteen in a different light, and we need people … representing the national team at a high level,” he said.
About two months after the start of Israel’s assault on Gaza, Mayali said he started to get back on his feet again. Now, he uses what’s happening in Palestine to motivate him on the court.
“There’s no way I can fail. There’s no way I can ever take a day off to rest because … I have a responsibility,” he said.
“I need to do the best I can every single day to honour my friends, my family, all of them in Falasteen.”
Onward to the Asia Cup
Jamal Mayali’s national team career may only be a few years old, but he already has several good memories to fall back on.
He still remembers how nerve-wracking it was to make his Palestine debut in 2021. He was in university at the time — at McGill University in Montreal, Canada — and his debut came in the middle of the pandemic.
Nevertheless, “it was a dream come true” for the Toronto native — just like it was when he played with the national team in the occupied West Bank in 2022.
“The feeling of playing in front of not just the fans but your nation was an honour beyond honours,” he said.
“It was such a beautiful feeling. We felt like we won the Olympics. When we won, everyone was celebrating and cheering like no other.”
The national team probably won’t play games in Palestine anytime soon. But even so, Mayali knows they have all of Palestine backing them — be they in Gaza, the West Bank or spread across the globe.
He hopes the team can bring some joy to their people by qualifying for the 2025 Asia Cup — if Allah (s.w.t.) wills.
“I have nothing but faith in Allah (s.w.t.) and His plans, truly,” he said. “That’s when it comes to Falasteen, when it comes to anything in my career, my family.”
“Allah (s.w.t.) is the confidence that I have, so I’m always hopeful in everything. I always have confidence that there’s going to be something positive coming later on in life.”
Headline image credit: @jamalmayali10/Instagram