Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson is to represent China at the FIBA World Cup, the player said on Monday after the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) announced that the American had obtained Chinese citizenship through naturalization.
The 29-year-old forward from New York is the latest elite athlete to gain Chinese nationality through naturalization and the first basketball player to do so.
Anderson “obtained Chinese nationality this morning and met Yao Ming, chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association,” the CBA wrote in a post on its Sina Weibo account.
Photo: AP
Not long after Anderson confirmed he would play for China at the FIBA World Cup next month in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
“Hello, fans in China, this is Li Kai-er. I’m so happy to announce I will be representing China in the World Cup. Really proud and honored to wear the Team China jersey,” Anderson said, using his Chinese name, in a video posted on Sina Weibo.
The citizenship could also enable Anderson to represent China at the Olympic Games in Paris next year.
FIBA allows teams to have one naturalized player on their roster. Chinese media reported that Anderson’s maternal grandmother was born in Jamaica to a Chinese father and Jamaican mother.
China had previously announced an 18-man squad for the World Cup, but FIBA said the final rosters would be confirmed only after a technical meeting to take place before the start of the tournament.
Other athletes who were naturalized include several Brazilians who moved to China in the hopes of playing international soccer.
Former Arsenal and Brentford midfielder Nico Yennaris, who was born in England, became the first overseas-born player to be called up for China’s national team in 2019.
At the time, the Chinese Super League was also the go-to destination for soccer players looking for lucrative contracts.
It is unclear if Anderson and the others have renounced their original nationality. China has strict rules that usually prevent dual nationality for its citizens.
Additional reporting by AP
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