AMMAN — The 27-year-old Zara Najjar was
present in the
International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) list on its
official website as a choice for Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the Asian Cup’s
Division B. However, beyond basketball, Najjar also has a passion for
entrepreneurship and the social and economic advancement of women.
اضافة اعلان
Najjar has been an outstanding key player for
the women’s national basketball team, the Falcons, and was chosen to be in the
final six nominees for the MVP award, further proving her incredible abilities.
Born into a family obsessed with basketball,
Najjar was influenced by her older siblings, who made sure that she was
introduced to the sport at a young age.
”I was in the first grade playing after school
at the basketball field alone, waiting for my older siblings to finish their
classes. The basketball coach came up to me, saw I had potential, and asked me
to train with the fifth graders instead,” she said.
The Orthodox forward position player has taken
part in many competitions and tournaments with the national team, but this one
was different, “this competition was something different, the fact that we were
hosting gave us incredible motivation, we trained so hard in the gym and on
court to show everyone what we can do and our potential, and I believe we did
just that,” she said.
“I wish we won it; I truly do. But that
doesn’t stop me from being proud of the girls and the achievements we made.
People shouldn’t forget the fact that we moved to be ranked within the best ten
teams in Asia, and we can’t forget that the Lebanese team has usually been a
Division A team, and it was a matter of time for them to be back in that
division. For us this was our first step in a long journey, with the continuous
support of the Jordan Basketball Federation, I’m sure we can get to Division A
in the future.”
After more than a week from the loss to the
Lebanese team, the Jordanian Basketball Federation and team members have now
had some time to study their flaws and make notes of where they can improve.
“To be honest, before this competition, we
never had the confidence to compete on this level, and I think this competition
helped us know where we actually stand. We are actually good and younger than
most teams competing. I am 27 years old and considered one of the experienced
players on the team. At 27, I still have ten more years to perform in my career,”
she explained.
“If you look at Marya Al-Hinn, people just
found out about how good she really is. At 23, she still has a lot to give the
national team,” she said.
She also added that she believes that the
reason why the fans still cheered at the arena until the last second is because
they realized that there is something different this time, “they sensed the
potential this team has.”
“I am very proud to share the locker room with
Natasha Cloud, not just because she’s an incredible athlete but also because
she is a very inspiring advocate for social justice, that always fought hard
and used her voice for what she stands for.”
Najjar has always been very passionate about
basketball, but the Boston University Mechanical Engineering graduate knows
very well how to keep her busy when she’s not occupied with basketball.
“Entrepreneurship has always been one of my
greatest interests; even though I graduated from the school of engineering, I
instantly started working in the entrepreneurship field after I graduated,” she
said.
To change the narrative about what it means to
play sports “like a girl,” Najjar and her long-time friend Ayah Saeed founded “Zay
El-Banat” in 2020, which is a movement and brand that set out to shift
perceptions of sexist phrases such as “like a girl.”
The movement uses social media and branded
hoodies and jerseys to convey its message of empowerment, encouraging women and
girls to take pride in who they are.
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