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Three more NBA players might represent the Bahamas in FIBA … – BasketNews.com
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Evan Mobley, Isaiah Mobley, and Naz Reid could play for the Bahamas next year to try and make it to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Klay Thompson’s participation remains a possibility as well.
The Bahamas won the Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Argentina behind the leadership of three NBA players. Now, the country might welcome even more names to the roster.
Klay Thompson
| Position: | SG, SF |
| Age: | 33 |
| Height: | 201 cm |
| Weight: | 93 kg |
| Birth place: | Los Angeles, United States of America |
While Buddy Hield has been playing for his home country for quite some time, Deandre Ayton and Eric Gordon joined the Indiana Pacers shooter to defeat Argentina in the tournament’s final.
Gordon, who had previously played for Team USA in the 2010 FIBA World Cup, was granted an exception by FIBA after the US Basketball gave permission for the player to change teams.
Three more players could be eligible to join the Bahamas, NBA insider Marc Stein notes. Evan Mobley, Isaiah Mobley, and Naz Reid all have family ties to the country and could represent the nation in one of four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments next year.
It’s currently unclear whether all three players hold Bahaman passports. If such, the Bahamas could squad a starting five made entirely out of NBA players. If not, all three players will compete for one spot reserved for a naturalized player since all persons who acquired a country’s passport past the age of 16 count as such in FIBA competitions.
One more player could join the race for the naturalized player spot as well – Klay Thompson. His father, Mychal Thompson, was a prominent NBA player in the 80s, winning two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.
It is worth noting that Klay Thompson, who would be 34 years old at the time of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, has also played for Team USA in an international competition before. He did it twice – in the 2014 FIBA World Cup and in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
