Lakers player receives Slovenian passport, eligible to play on national team with Luka Doncic

Lakers center Jaxon Hayes is officially a Slovenian citizen.On Monday, after the Lakers team practice ahead of their Game 2 matchup with the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, Hayes said he had received his Slovenian passport, thereby making him eligible to suit up alongside his teammate, Luka Doncic, for the Slovenia men’s national basketball team.“We got my Slovenian passport,” Hayes said, grinning.“It really came through.

Luka’s been calling me ‘my Slovenian brother.’ He says it all the time.”The initial conversation about joining the team started back in October through both Hayes and Doncic’s agent, Bill Duffy of WME Sports.Slovenia, like several international programs, allows one naturalized player on its roster.

So Hayes, a 7-footer from Norman, Oklahoma, fit the bill.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story Doncic, who returned to the team last Friday after spending the previous two weeks in Madrid receiving treatment on his injured hamstring must be ecstatic.Not only does Team Slovenia get a rim-running, lob-catching, vertical presence down low, but it’s a current teammate that he’s comfortable with and can only develop further chemistry with.

At least that’s what Lakers’ head coach J.J.Redick is hoping for.“You’re learning around great players… and a different way to play,” Redick told reporters back in October.

“If it happens, building that connection with Luka would be awesome.”For Hayes, playing for Team Slovenia is all about competing on the international stage and perhaps playing in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opin...