NBA’s Kyle Anderson ‘on track’ to be naturalised for China at FIBA basketball World Cup
- Anderson, whose maternal grandmother was born to a Chinese man in Jamaica, fits Yao Ming’s strict criteria for naturalisation
- Former national team player Chen Zhenghao believes the Minnesota Timberwolves star will be ‘an instant upgrade’ for China
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Sources close to the Chinese Basketball Association have told the Post that Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson is likely to be naturalised to play for China in time for this summer’s FIBA World Cup.
The nine-year NBA veteran is expected to fly to China after the end of the playoffs. The Timberwolves – who are the No 8 seeds in Western Conference – trail top seeds the Denver Nuggets 3-1 going into Wednesday’s game 5 in their best-of-seven, first-round series.
The process of naturalising Anderson began last year, the source said, with the 29-year-old American fitting the criteria set by CBA president and former NBA legend Yao Ming, who starred at the Houston Rockets.
Yao has reportedly made it “non-negotiable” that any players to be naturalised must have blood relations in China, and “cultural identity”, according to Chinese media.
Anderson certainly fits the bill. His maternal grandmother was born in Jamaica to a Chinese father and Jamaican mother, making him one-eighth Chinese. His great grandfather moved to the US with his family, and Anderson was born in New York in 1993.
The 2.06-metres tall forward, who was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, reunited with his remote Chinese family in 2018.
He had spent years tracking them down after his mother Suzanne found out that her grandfather had come from the Xinmu New Village in Longgang, Shenzhen.
Anderson was given a Chinese name – Li Kaier – during the reunion trip by his then 70-year-old cousin Li Tianping, who wrote the name into the family-tree booklet.
Renowned Chinese basketball commentator Chen Zhenghao said he believed Anderson – who has averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season – will be “an instant upgrade” to China’s men’s national team.
“His basketball IQ is really high, and he reads the game well,” Chen, who started his commentary career with ESPN in 1997, said. “With his skills and playmaking ability, he will be a truly great addition to the team on both ends.”
“Kyle has already demonstrated his value in the NBA. He is such a versatile player and that is his biggest characteristic.”
Chen, a former national team player, added that Anderson will be a “definite starter” for China.
“He can play from No 1 through No 5 on the court and there is no one on the current team who can quite compare with him,” he said.
“His versatility, however, makes it difficult to predict his position – it depends on what the team needs, and on who is playing around him, but I’m sure he can do whatever the head coach needs him to.
“I’m happy to see this happening, Kyle is definitely the kind of talent we need, so given his Chinese ancestry, I think he is a very, very good option in terms of naturalisation.”
When asked by Chinese media this month, Anderson said he would make a decision on his naturalisation after the current season ends.
Under Article 3 of the current Nationality Law, China does not recognise dual nationality. If Anderson is to don the China jersey, the former UCLA player will have to renounce his US citizenship.
Anderson has so far not responded to the Post’s request for comment.
A similar situation has also surrounded Eileen Gu, the two-time Winter Olympics gold medallist. The 19-year-old freestyle skier was born in San Francisco, however chose to represent China, the country of her mother’s birth. Gu has yet to fully answer questions regarding the status of her own citizenship.
China men’s national basketball team will be making their 10th World Cup appearance this summer. The showpiece, which is being co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, tips off on August 25.
China are seeded in pot six alongside Latvia, Mexico and Georgia for the finals draw, which will take place on April 29 in Quezon City, in the Philippines.
