Kyrie Irving in the green and gold at the 2028 Olympics? It could happen.
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A report from Code Sports revealed the Australian-born NBA superstar is in genuine talks with Basketball Australia (BA) about switching allegiances.
It comes after Irving told reporters on Monday that he was “in the process” of pursuing the switch.
“Man, we’re in the process of that right now, just trying to figure out the best route for me to be eligible,” Irving said after the NBA All-Star game.
“There’s a lot of paperwork involved. Obviously, USA still has a decision to make, but for me, I’m just trying to do what’s best.
“Honestly, if I can be an Aussie at one point in my career and play for the Australian team, that would be great.”
Code Sports reported that sources confirmed Irving “has been in touch” with BA and that both parties are keen to work on finding a way to have the 32-year-old represent Australian in L.A.
One source told the publication Irving is “keen to play for Australia and wants to make it happen”, although he would need Team USA to clear it and for BA to then sign it off along with FIBA.
“That’s not a fix!” – Draymond | 01:01
Irving floated the idea of potentially representing Australia while speaking to The Athletic in October last year.
“I would love to entertain playing for Team Australia,” he said at the time.
“I don’t think it’s a strong, strong possibility at this point, depending on what the Olympic Committee does. But as a competitor, I was born in Australia.
“For me, it’s not a hard transition to make, but I don’t want to fall into the same, I would say, probably like — I’m trying to be very intentional with my words here. I don’t want to fall into the trap of being let down or disappointed when I know that there are other opportunities out there for me.”
Those comments came after Irving was left out of the Team USA squad for the Paris Olympics.
Irving also previously revealed on a Twitch stream that when he was a teenager he wanted to represent Australia but was blocked by Duke college coach and then-American national coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“I consider myself an international player even though I played on Team USA,” Irving, who was born in Melbourne and holds dual citizenship, said.
“A lot of my peers laugh at me when I bring it up and some fans may not agree, but I was born in Australia.
“Team USA asked me to play for them when I was 17 or 18… I wanted to play for Australia, but it just didn’t happen.
“Coach K wasn’t going to let that happen either.”
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