Lakers Big Man Officially Becomes a Slovenian Citizen to Play Alongside Luka Dončić
· Yahoo Sports
Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has made it official: He’s a Slovenian citizen.
Hayes, 26, took the oath of Slovenian citizenship and got his passport at the European country’s embassy in Washington, D.C., Tuesday morning, the Basketball Federation of Slovenia said on social media.
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Officials clarified that Hayes won’t be able to immediately join the Slovenian squad alongside his Lakers teammate Luka Dončić, but he will be eligible starting next year.
‘We sincerely thank the National Assembly and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, all competent ministries, the Olympic Committee of Slovenia, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Washington and everyone else who helped Jaxson Hayes obtain Slovenian citizenship,” said Aleš Križnar, secretary general of the Basketball Association of Slovenia, said in a statement. “In these days, Jaxson took the oath and arranged all the formalities for the issuance of a passport. As is known, he will not yet help the national team in the upcoming qualification window, but I believe that with his youth, playing abilities, great desire and the right attitude, he will be an important member of the Slovenian national team in the long term.”
Why did Jaxson Hayes become a Slovenian citizen?
The Slovenian national team allows one naturalized citizen on their roster for international competitions, according to ESPN, and now Hayes will have that spot.
“It really came through. Luka’s been calling me ‘my Slovenian brother.’ He says it all the time,” Hayes said, per the New York Post.
Hayes will soon be playing alongside one of the best basketball players in the world in international competition after he says he was denied a chance to do so for the US.
“USA doesn’t do open tryouts,” Hayes said in October, per ESPN. “And I feel like there are guys they invite to the USA [training camp] that shouldn’t be there. So, I wanted to just play on that stage … I’m going to do whatever it takes to play on that stage.”
So when will we get to see Hayes suiting up for Slovenia alongside Doncic? Perhaps in the 2028 Summer Olympics in — where else — Los Angeles.
That’s something Lakers head coach JJ Redick supports.
“You’re learning around great players… and a different way to play,” Redick said, per ESPN. “If it happens, building that connection with Luka would be awesome.”
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