Jaxson Hayes got Slovenian passport, could play with Luka Doncic
Jaxson Hayes is now eligible to play alongside Lakers teammate Luka Doncic for Slovenia in international competition, including the Summer Olympics.
Team USA basketball has been thoroughly challenged in the last few Summer Olympics, even though it has won the last five gold medals in five-on-five basketball competition. While it will likely be favored again to win the gold during the 2028 Olympics, the competition is likely to be fairly tight once again. The Slovenian national team, of course, will boast the talents and skills of Luka Doncic.
In the 2020 Summer Games (which were played in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Doncic played sensational basketball, but Slovenia failed to medal after losing to Australia in the bronze medal round. In 2028, Doncic could have a familiar face alongside him in the Olympics: Los Angeles Lakers teammate Jaxson Hayes. The backup center told the media on Monday that he has received his Slovenian passport, which makes him eligible to play for the Slovenian national team as a naturalized citizen.
He joked that he only knows a few words in the Slovenian language, and that they're words not suitable for use in public. #Lakers center Jaxon Hayes confirms that he received his Slovenian passport. Hayes, the Lakers, Luka Doncic, and both Hayes and Luka’s agent Bill Duffy were pushing for the big man to join the Slovenian national team in the summer and this would confirm that’s going to happen.
… pic. twitter. com/rn0vqnZu6p — Michael J.