LBS does not say a categorical “no” to the naturalization of a foreign player in the men’s national team – Klik

The naturalization of a foreign player to strengthen the men’s basketball team for the 2025 European Championship is not currently discussed in the Latvian Basketball Union (LBS), but at present no such categorical “no” can be said, said Secretary General Kaspars Cyprus in a conversation with TVNET.

At the end of March, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) granted Latvia the right to host the 2025 European Men’s Basketball Championship single-group tournament and also the final stage. There is no doubt that the Latvian basketball family expects not only a well-organized “EuroBasket” tournament, but also our basketball players’ competition for prizes. The talented galley of players with Kristaps Porziņģis in the lead set a high bar in the 2017 European Championship, winning the 5th place, which is the best achievement since the restoration of Latvia’s independence. Many basketball experts agree that five years ago the performance of the Latvian national team led us to believe that we have the potential to fight for the European Championship medals, but in the quarterfinals we had to acknowledge the superiority of the future champion Slovenia. The success of this generation has been missed due to the failure to qualify for the next three major tournaments – the 2019 World Cup, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 European Championships.