Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving told reporters during All-Star Weekend that he wants to play for Australia at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Irving was born in Melbourne while his dad was playing for the Bulleen Boomers of the now-defunct South East Australian Basketball League, and holds Australian citizenship.
“We’re in the process of [making the switch from Team USA] right now,” Irving said on Sunday. “Just trying to figure out what’s going to be the best route for me to be eligible. There’s a lot of paperwork in between that.
“Team USA still has a decision to make. I’m just trying to do what’s best for me. Honestly, if I can be an Aussie at one point in my career and play for the Australian team, that would be great.”
Irving, 32, has played for Team USA on numerous occasions, including the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, where he helped the Americans win gold medals. He was not on the last two Team USA Olympic rosters.
Under FIBA rules, players who compete for a country after turning 17 are tied to that country unless the secretary general — currently Andreas Zagklis of Greece — authorizes a switch under “exceptional circumstances.”
Per FIBA’s handbook, Zagklis will have to consider the following in his decision:
- The impact of the change in the development of basketball in the countries or territories involved.
- The level of basketball in the countries involved, such as their world and continental ranking and recent results.
- The potential effect of the change in the competitive balance of FIBA Official Competitions.
- The circumstances of the participation of the player with the previous national team.
At this point it remains unclear if Irving’s request to switch to Australia will be authorized as approval from USA Basketball and Basketball Australia, in addition to FIBA, is required. It’s worth noting that Klay Thompson recently tried to make a similar move to play for the Bahamas, but was denied. Likewise, on the women’s side, Nneka Ogwumike and Elizabeth Williams were prevented from playing for Nigeria.
If Irving is allowed to suit up for Australia, he has the backing of Australian legend Andrew Gaze, who played for the Boomers at five Olympic games.
“Why wouldn’t you be [excited]? He’s a superstar of the NBA and has been for many years,” Gaze said in a recent interview. “”He sometimes has out-there ideas about other things, but from a basketball perspective he’s still playing at a very elite level. Hopefully they can find a way to make it happen.”
Team Australia won the bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games but did not medal in Paris last summer following a loss to Serbia in the quarterfinals.
