Kuzma: I’m Open to Playing for the Philippine Men’s Basketball Team with Clarkson

On September 10, NBA star Kuzma expressed his willingness to play for the Philippine men’s basketball team alongside Clarkson.

In an interview with ALL-STAR magazine, Kuzma stated that playing for the U.S. men’s basketball team is still his top priority, but if that opportunity doesn’t come in the future, he wouldn’t mind playing for the Philippines with one of his best friends.

“I mean if I don’t play for Team USA, I can play ball with Clarkson. That would be cool,” Kuzma said, noting that the two were teammates during their time with the Los Angeles Lakers and have remained close since then.

Of course, there are some caveats.

Firstly, the 29-year-old player could only represent the Philippines in FIBA and Olympic competitions if he is naturalized as a Filipino, which is a lengthy process.

Moreover, each team is allowed only one naturalized player. Clarkson represented the Philippines in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and is currently designated as a naturalized player, even though his mother, Annette, is Filipino.

Is it possible for Clarkson to be reclassified as a local player? It’s complicated, but it might be possible. According to a report by ESPN Philippines, here are the criteria considered by the FIBA Secretary General (currently Andreas Zagris) for such changes: the number of years the player has resided in the country they wish to play for, the number of seasons they have played in the domestic league of that country, and other criteria establishing a link between the player and the country.

“You know, my primary goal is to play with Team USA in the Olympics,” Kuzma said, who had originally intended to play with Team USA in the 2019 FIBA World Cup but was sidelined due to a foot injury.

“But, I think it would be really cool to play elsewhere because playing for Team USA is very, very tough.”