Spanish Basketball in Hot Water Over Ad

Players for the Spanish men’s and women’s basketball teams posed for a pre-Olympic newspaper advertisement in popular Spanish daily Marca, in which they are pictured pulling back the skin on either side of their eyes to narrow them.

Britain’s The Guardian newspaper says the men’s and women’s teams are pictured making the gesture in separate ads taken out by a courier company that sponsors the Spanish Basketball Federation.

The ads, which feature the players in full uniform on a basketball court decorated with a picture of a dragon, are part of a campaign aimed at supporting the Spanish basketball teams at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Among those making the pose in the men’s ad are Toronto Raptors point guard Jose Calderon, Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, as well as Portland Trail Blazers rookie Rudy Fernandez.

The Spanish men’s team defeated Greece 81-66 in its opener on Sunday, while the women’s team earned an 85-62 win over New Zealand on Monday.