The Chinese Basketball Association confirmed that Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson has obtained Chinese citizenship through naturalization, just in time for the upcoming 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup to be held primarily in the Philippines, with some games in Indonesia and Japan from August 25 to September 10.
#Breaking: China Basketball Association (CBA) confirmed on Monday that #NBA basketaballer Kyle Anderson, or known by his Chinese name Li Kai’er, has received Chinese nationality. Kyle Anderson's Great-Grandpa is a Chinese national from Shenzhen. pic.twitter.com/HyOJV9RwDK
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) July 24, 2023
"[Anderson] obtained Chinese nationality this morning and met Yao Ming, president of the Chinese Basketball Association," the CBA said in a post on its official Weibo account.
Anderson has Chinese heritage through his maternal grandmother, who had a Chinese father and a Jamaican mother. They lived in Jamaica as part of the Chinese-Jamaican community in the place.
The San Antonio Spurs selected the 6-foot-9 forward as the 30th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He spent his first four seasons under Gregg Popovich before signing for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018.
Anderson signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves during the summer of 2022. He averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in 28.1 minutes per game during the 2022-23 NBA season.
Read more: Nikola Jokic Joins Long List of Superstars Skipping FIBA World Cup
Anderson might play for China in FIBA World Cup
While nothing has been confirmed, the 29-year-old could play for China in the upcoming FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
FIBA allows one (1) naturalized player on every team's roster. The Chinese national basketball team has previously announced an 18-man pool for the World Cup roster without Anderson, but the final lineup has yet to be announced.
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