China has a new citizen.
In the run-up to the 2023 Basketball World Cup (August 25 to September 10), NBA star Kyle Anderson (29) obtained Chinese citizenship. The forward from the Minnesota Timberwolves can now compete for China.
A statement from the official Chinese Basketball Federation said: “Anderson obtained Chinese nationality this morning and met with Yao Ming, Chairman of the China Basketball Federation.”
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Source: ZDF 07/24/2023
NBA: China instead of the USA – basketball player becomes Chinese before the World Cup
One thing is clear: the world basketball association Fiba allows every country to have one naturalized player per tournament in the squad.
As a result, Kyle Anderson becomes Li Kaier with immediate effect. He published a message directly via his Weibo channel – but still in English.
Kaier: “Hello, fans in China, this is Li Kaier speaking. I’m so happy to announce that I can represent China at the World Cup. I’m proud to wear the Chinese jersey.”
China will face Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico in Group B of the World Cup. The tournament will take place in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.
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Anderson is the first basketball player to have Chinese citizenship. Ex-Arsenal player Nico Yennaris became the first foreign-born player to be called up to the China national football team in 2019.
According to Chinese media, Anderson’s maternal grandmother grew up in Jamaica and is said to have had a Chinese father who married a Jamaican woman. However, it is unclear whether Anderson gave up his US citizenship for this. China is known for strict rules prohibiting dual citizenship.
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Kyle Anderson has been playing in the NBA since 2014. From 2014 to 2018 he ran for the San Antonio Spurs, then for the Memphis Grizzlies. He has played for the Minnesota Timberwolves since 2022.
2023-07-24 14:38:46
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