NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving wants to play for Australia but red tape presents obstacle

His basketball skills have embarrassed the world’s best defences, but Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving faces imposing regulation, resistance and red tape before he will be allowed to represent Australia in international competition. The former USA point guard revealed at the NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco over the weekend he is exploring how to switch allegiances to the country of his birth.

“We’re in the process of that right now, just trying to figure out what’s going to be the best route for me to be eligible,” he said. Irving was born in Melbourne in 1992 when his father Drederick was an import for the Bulleen Bullets in the South East Australian Basketball League. The family stayed until their son was two, before returning to the US. The 32-year-old Kyrie was the NBA’s first draft pick in 2011 and played for Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Despite All-Star-worthy play for the Mavericks, he has fallen out of favour with US officials in recent years and was overlooked for the Paris Olympic team that won gold last year. The rules of international basketball governing body Fiba prevent a player who has played for one nation as an adult to then represent a second one, unless an exemption is provided by the sport’s secretary general. Irving admitted “there’s a lot of paperwork” before he could wear the green and gold, and revealed that Team USA needs to decide whether or not they will permit such a change.

“Honestly, if I can be an Aussie at one point in my career, play for the Australian team, that’d be great,” he said. The Fiba rules are designed to protect the integrity of international competition and prevent those with multiple nationalities from switching allegiance on a whim. Only in “exceptional circumstances” will Fiba’s secretary general – currently Andreas Zagklis – will authorise the change, and only if it is “the best interests of basketball”, according to Fiba’s rules. Considerations include whether it will affect the competitive balance of international competitions, and the circumstances around the previous nation.

Another former Team USA player, Klay Thompson – and a teammate of Irving in Dallas – was in discussions last year around representing the Bahamas, the country of his father’s birth. His attempts ultimately failed. Irving’s case appears stronger than Thompson’s given he was born in Australia, however there is no guarantee Irving would figure in the Boomers’ plans in coming years. The head coach position has not yet been filled since Brian Goorjian stepped down following the Paris Games.