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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Bryan Kalbrosky

10 U.S.-born NBA players (Karl-Anthony Towns!) who are on non-American FIBA World Cup rosters

Fiba NBA Jordan Clarkson KarlAnthony Towns World Cup FIBA World Cup Carlik Jones John Holland (Person) Jordan Howard Kyle Anderson

The 2023 FIBA World Cup begins next week and 32 teams will compete in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia for a shot at a gold medal.

Although the United States men’s basketball team has a strong roster and enters the tournament as favorites, there are several other national teams (e.g. Canada!) who have a chance to make some noise.

While many of the top international stars are not able to play for one reason or another, there are some familiar faces you may see who you thought were American but are not playing for Team USA.

FIBA allows teams to have one naturalized player on their roster. Let’s run through some of the notable names you’ll see on other rosters:

1. Karl-Anthony Towns

NATIONAL TEAM: Dominican Republic

NBA TEAM: Minnesota Timberwolves

BIRTHPLACE: New Jersey

Towns is a duel citizen who has previously represented the Dominican Republic in international competitions. Although he hadn’t played for the Dominican Republic in over ten years, the Timberwolves star will suit up this summer. Here is more (via ESPN):

“There was a lot that went into the decision,” Towns said.

“The timing is right. I didn’t put as much stress on my body this last season because of the injury. I’m feeling great now, I’m 100% and feeling like myself again. It’s a perfect time to work on some things in my game. And with my mom’s passing, I felt an urgency to do it.”

Towns’ mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, is where he gets his Dominican heritage. Her family taught Towns about it, particularly through cooking, as he was growing up in New Jersey. Jacqueline died in April 2020 because of complications from the coronavirus, and her passing strengthened Towns’ pull toward his history and wearing the Dominican jersey again.

2. Jordan Clarkson

NATIONAL TEAM: Philippines

NBA TEAM: Utah Jazz

BIRTHPLACE: Texas

Clarkson represented the Philippines in the Asian Qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup. He has a Filipino passport because of his grandmother.

3. Kyle Anderson

NATIONAL TEAM: China

NBA TEAM: Minnesota Timberwolves

BIRTHPLACE: New Jersey

Anderson, whose Chinese name is Li Kaier, became eligible for Chinese citizenship through his great-grandfather. He is the first naturalized citizen to play for China’s national team.

4. Matisse Thybulle

NATIONAL TEAM: Australia

NBA TEAM: Portland Trail Blazers

BIRTHPLACE: Arizona

Matisse Thybulle was born in Arizona but moved to Australia when he was two years old. He focused on swimming (not basketball) when he lived over in Sydney. But he eventually moved back to the United States, settling with his family in the suburbs of Seattle.

5. Carlik Jones

NATIONAL TEAM: South Sudan

NBA TEAM: Chicago Bulls

BIRTHPLACE: Ohio

Last season, Jones was the NBA G League MVP and the league’s top scorer. This summer is his first representing South Sudan in international play.

6. Lester Quinones

NATIONAL TEAM: Dominican Republic

NBA TEAM: Golden State Warriors (Two-way)

BIRTHPLACE: New Jersey

Quinones won the NBA G League’s Most Improved Player last season and then signed a two-way deal with the Warriors after a strong performance in NBA 2K24 Summer League. He also represented the Dominican Republic during the FIBA U18 Americas Championship in 2018.

7. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

NATIONAL TEAM: Jordan

NBA TEAM: Portland Trail Blazers (2020-21)

BIRTHPLACE: Pennsylvania

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, a first-round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, won a championship in the Philippines Basketball Association in 2023. Last month, he became a naturalized player for Jordan.

8. Omari Spellman

NATIONAL TEAM: Lebanon

NBA Team: Golden State Warriors (2019-20)

BIRTHPLACE: Ohio

Omari Spellman, a first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, won a title in the Korean Basketball League last season. He received honorary citizenship for Lebanon “after several months of negotiations” earlier this year.

9. Tremont Waters

NATIONAL TEAM: Puerto Rico

NBA TEAM: Washington Wizards (2021-22)

BIRTHPLACE: Connecticut

Waters represented Puerto Rico in the FIBA AmeriCup in 2022 and the Americas Qualifiers earlier this year. The former LSU standout, who was named NBA G League Rookie of the Year in 2020, played point guard for Victor Wembanyama on Metropolitans 92 for the majority of last season. He then won a title in the Puerto Rican BSN.

10. John Holland

NATIONAL TEAM: Puerto Rico

NBA TEAM: Cleveland Cavaliers (2019-20)

BIRTHPLACE: New York

While this is his first time playing in the World Cup, former Boston University forward John Holland has played for the Puerto Rican national team for over a decade. He recently won the Serbian League championship.