NBA participant Kyle Anderson has change into a Chinese citizen, Beijing’s basketball affiliation stated on Monday, paving the way in which for the Timberwolves ahead to characterize the Asian large at subsequent month’s FIBA Basketball World Cup.
China has naturalised a sequence of foreign-born athletes lately in a bid to strengthen its continuously underperforming nationwide groups.
Anderson, who was born in New York and reportedly has a Chinese great-grandfather, stated this 12 months he would contemplate switching allegiance to Beijing.
“With the promotion and support of all parties, Li Kai’er obtained Chinese nationality this morning,” the China Basketball Association (CBA) stated on its Weibo social media account, utilizing Anderson’s Chinese identify.
“We thank all parties for their support and help, Li’s family for their support, and the fans and media for their long-term attention to the Chinese men’s basketball team,” the CBA added.
The governing physique posted a photograph of a beaming Anderson standing with its chairman, former NBA star Yao Ming.
It didn’t point out whether or not Anderson had renounced his American passport, which is usually a requirement in China, which doesn’t recognise twin nationality.
Anderson at present performs for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who misplaced within the first spherical of final season’s playoffs to the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets.
China is at present ranked twenty seventh on the earth by basketball’s world governing physique, FIBA.
Beijing has made overtures lately to international athletes with connections to the nation by way of ancestry or long-term residence.
They embody US-born freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who cemented her superstar standing with a string of victories eventually 12 months’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.
British-born former Arsenal footballer Nico Yennaris has additionally competed for the Chinese nationwide workforce after acquiring citizenship.
