Olympics & Nationality

[Billy Hoyle]

It's a bit curious that they haven't tried a similar approach with Olympic basketball. I'd imagine that them being good in basketball would be more valuable to them than hockey after all.

Travis became an Italian citizen. Becky Hammon became a Russian citizen after playing pro over there.

[JWags85]

It's a bit curious that they haven't tried a similar approach with Olympic basketball. I'd imagine that them being good in basketball would be more valuable to them than hockey after all.

I think the culture around basketball is a bit different there.  I think they want to become a homegrown power.  The hockey thing is more for the Olympics and them hosting than anything IMO, cause they've never been good or made an effort like this.

But basketball, even with the CBA, they are trying to walk the line between bringing in Americans to sell tickets and wow people with 50 point performances and developing internally a true basketball culture and program.  I think they are legit playing the long game with basketball and think they can become a power organically.

Travis became an Italian citizen. Becky Hammon became a Russian citizen after playing pro over there.

I'm assuming he meant China specifically.  Cause the rosters of Eastern European countries are littered with lesser American basketball players who have been given citizenship for FIBA tourneys, much less the Olympics.  Some never even played domestically in the country they represent

[Galway Eagle]

Travis became an Italian citizen. Becky Hammon became a Russian citizen after playing pro over there.

I was more talking about China in particular. But yes Italy's laws are pretty clear that it's drop of blood as long as nobody has renounced their citizenship and the immigrant ancestor was not naturalized to a new country prior to the first generation US citizen's birth. So im sure he was actually eligible given almost nobody filed official paper work back in the day.

For the record Luke Fischer gained Armenian citizenship to play for their team but their rules are somewhat sketchy on who can be a citizen. Zero ancestry, or living requirement. 

[Billy Hoyle]

I was more talking about China in particular. But yes Italy's laws are pretty clear that it's drop of blood as long as nobody has renounced their citizenship and the immigrant ancestor was not naturalized to a new country prior to the first generation US citizen's birth. So im sure he was actually eligible given almost nobody filed official paper work back in the day.

For the record Luke Fischer gained Armenian citizenship to play for their team but their rules are somewhat sketchy on who can be a citizen. Zero ancestry, or living requirement.

There was a women's hoops player at my old health club who played pro in Turkey which allowed her to become a Turkish citizen and play for the national team...with one caveat: She had to adopt a Turkish name. So we knew her by her US birth name but in competition, she used her Turkish name.

When I was in Galway for school a number of my classmates got their Irish citizenship. They only needed a grandparent who was from Ireland. Unfortunately for me, I was too far removed to get my citizenship and create the Irish ski team.