American-born guard Bryce Cotton had given up on his dream of playing for Australia following a painful visa ordeal, but is happy fate pulled him back into the Boomers picture.
Cotton will make his long-awaited Boomers debut at the upcoming FIBA 2027 Basketball World Cup qualifiers in Perth.
The 33-year-old, who won his sixth NBL MVP award in February, endured a drawn-out citizenship saga that threatened to prevent him from representing his adopted nation.
But Cotton finally secured his citizenship last September and the former Perth Wildcats star has been confirmed as part of the Boomers team to take on Guam (July 3) and the Philippines (July 6) at RAC Arena.
"It's very surreal for me, even when I first put the jersey on, I just took a little bit of time to stare at Australia and then see my name on the back," Cotton said on Thursday.
"It's been a very long process. Nonetheless, I finally got here. I'm very grateful for the opportunity.
"And I'm excited, of all places, to play my first game as a Boomer in Perth, so very ironic. Funny how fate turns out sometimes."
Fate didn't look to be on Cotton's side when he was deemed to have been in Australia "unlawfully" after being popped in a room for 15 minutes while they were changing over his visa status.
"Long story short, when I got permanent residency, it was during the COVID times, and I wasn't able to leave the country when I got permanent residency," Cotton said.
"So for me being detained in that room while they switched over my special visa to being a permanent resident, they said I was unlawfully in the country for 15 minutes.
"So it restarted my whole process, and this was back in 2021."
It took another four years for Cotton to finally get his citizenship, and he gave up on his Boomers dream during that time.
"Mentally, I gave up on it," Cotton said.
"Like out of sight, out of mind. But sometimes in life when you kind of let go of things, things end up working out in their own way, in their own time, and I think that's what happened."
The World Cup qualifiers will be a sort of homecoming for Cotton, who exploded onto the Australian sporting scene during a decorated stint as an import with the Wildcats.
Cotton was the spearhead in three Wildcats championships and won the NBL MVP award five times in nine seasons with the club.
He added another NBL MVP award last season following a bombshell move to Adelaide, showing no signs of slowing down.
On the eve of the NBL playoffs in February, Cotton said representing Australia at the World Cup, Olympics and possibly Commonwealth Games held significant appeal.
Now, he will finally get his chance to prove his worth in the green and gold.
But there is still a potential bump in the road, with Australia only allowed to field one naturalised player at each tournament.
It means Cotton will need to beat out Matisse Thybulle for a spot in future Australian teams if the Portland Trailblazers guard makes himself available.
