# Multinational Players



## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

Today I was doing my best to waste time at work: and frankly, I'm a genius at it. I was listing the best players from each country (with the eventual goal of combining proximate nations' players and making all-star teams for no good reason whatsoever other than my own amusement) when it occurred to me that I wasn't sure how to list some guys. Petar Naumoski and Mirsad Turkcan are former staples of the Turkish national team, but both have (former) Yugoslavian roots. Kosta Koufos seems widely considered Greek, yet was born and raised in Ohio. Andrew Bogut is an Aussie whom Croats love or hate for his ancestry. Rick Fox is Bahamanian and Canadian. Sam Dalembert is a Canadian Hatian. Luol Deng, an American Sudanese who will be representing Great Britain. The list goes on. My point ... I guess I don't have one; this isn't a rant against JR Holden getting a Russian passport. But if you have anything to say about multinational players and the confusion they cause you while you try to categorize guys for no good reason other than slacking at work, feel free to use this thread.


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## argusa (May 7, 2008)

What's the rule on players switching national teams. Splitter holds Brazilian and Spanish citizenship. Delfino has Argentine and Italian. Could someone like this just decide to play for another NT team.


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

What about JR Holden, he has dual citizenship with both US and Russia.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

Luol Deng is Sudanese not American-Sudanese. He was raised in Great Britain and only moved over to the States to play basketball. As far as I am concerned he is 100% official British, we are the country that provided him protection and shelter and it's only fair he is trying to pay us back.


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## kzero (Apr 30, 2006)

They just need to have a racial draft like in Chappelle's Show.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

Porn_Player said:


> Luol Deng is Sudanese not American-Sudanese. He was raised in Great Britain and only moved over to the States to play basketball. As far as I am concerned he is 100% official British, we are the country that provided him protection and shelter and it's only fair he is trying to pay us back.


I wasn't knocking the British aspect, sorry if I didn't say it properly. When I said American, I just meant that's where he's lived and played the past however many years now--decade or whatever.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

argusa said:


> What's the rule on players switching national teams. Splitter holds Brazilian and Spanish citizenship. Delfino has Argentine and Italian. Could someone like this just decide to play for another NT team.


My understanding from a story back when Olajuwon joined Team USA is that FIBA's rule is that once someone has played for a country, he cannot play for another country later. So a player like JR Holden (named earlier) was eligible to play for Russia once he accepted their offer of citizenship because he had not represented Team USA in the past. And so I guess that also goes back and answers my initial dilemma about guys: if they played for a national team, that's the country into whose group I ought to place them, regardless of place of birth. Looks like my Slovenia roster just got Arriel McDonald!


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

Benedict_Boozer said:


> What about JR Holden, he has dual citizenship with both US and Russia.


His Russian citizenship was acquired specifically so he could play for their national team (them being familiar with him because of his seasons with CSKA Moscow).


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## starvydas (Jul 16, 2002)

Tony Parker's father is American and his mother is Dutch. He was born in Belgium, yet raised and trained in France. So technically under FIBA rules he'd be eligible to play for any of these national teams.
We all know he 's chosen to play for France and that he 'd no have no problem cracking either a Belgian or Dutch national team, but do you guys think he'd be considered for a Team USA roster spot?

In the 1990s there was a trend of dubious naturalizing process going on in Europe. As Luther said Mirsad Turkcan (born in Bosnia under the name Mirsad Jahovic) is an example but the most extreme one is Jake Tsakalidis (born Youri Tsakalov in the Republic of Georgia) who probably got paid to ask for Greek citizenship, although it's not never been officially proven


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

I believe Predrag (Peja) Stojakovic also received Greek citizenship during his time there, but of course he chose to play for Yugoslavia/Serbia&Montenegro/Serbia instead anyway. As for Parker, it's irrelevant now: he can't play for the USA, having played for France.


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## Boris (Jun 30, 2005)

luther said:


> I believe Predrag (Peja) Stojakovic also received Greek citizenship during his time there, but of course he chose to play for Yugoslavia/Serbia&Montenegro/Serbia instead anyway. As for Parker, it's irrelevant now: he can't play for the USA, having played for France.


Stojakovic is Serbian born in Pozega, Croatia and when war started in Croatia he moved to Greece. 

It's not just Mirsad (Jahovic) Turckan from Bosnia (Sandzak,), also Turkoglu and Ermal Kuqo roots are from Sandzak. They all speeak ther mother language, just like Bogut speeks Croatian.

Intrestig notes: Many other players have roots from Foremr Yugoslavia (Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo)ani it is nothinhg special since lot of crap happend here in last centuary. George Mikan, Rudy Tomjanovich, Jack Skima and Brian Schalabrine surly have roots from Croatia, while Greg Popovich roots are from Montenegro or Serbia. for pete Maravich is just known that he has roots in former Yugoslavia.


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## Fede (May 23, 2004)

almost every argentinian have dual nationality


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

The way they were talking about Holden in tonights game(and becky hammond) it seemed like all you needed was a passport issued by the country.Holden has lived in Russia for quite some time.I don't know how long Hammond has played there,but she only lives there during the winter I guess.Kaman probably hasn't ever even been to Germany....So there's no way he could be a citizen...Apparently all the germans had to do was fasttrack him for a passport.I guess he has a german grandfather,but I'm not sure what the actual requirements are.It wouldn't seem that actual citizenship is a requirement.I don't think Becky Hammond has any russian relatives either...She's simply got a russian passport because she plays for CSKA moscow.


If Germany were better in the backcourt this would be a really big deal.It's not like he's some marginal player.He could make a huge difference on a team that was a little better.If Germany takes a medal the team that they beat would likely squeal for years.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

Diable said:


> The way they were talking about Holden in tonights game(and becky hammond)* it seemed like all you needed was a passport issued by the country.*Holden has lived in Russia for quite some time.I don't know how long Hammond has played there,but she only lives there during the winter I guess.


To represent a country in national team competition, you have to be a citizen of that country. But yes, you can get fast-tracked despite no real "credentials" for citizenship, although that is up to the country. Holden had played in Russia for years, yes, but never lived there in the offseason. And Hammon played one season there before being picked up, as I recall. Travis Hansen, ex-BYU, was also being considered for the Russian national team after one season there.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

Boris said:


> Stojakovic is Serbian born in Pozega, Croatia and when war started in Croatia he moved to Greece.


I know this. I was just saying that I believe he got Greek citizenship while there, and thus _could have potentially_ chosen to play for them instead of Y/S&M. Obviously he didn't and it is a moot point now.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

Diable said:


> If Germany were better in the backcourt this would be a really big deal.It's not like he's some marginal player.He could make a huge difference on a team that was a little better.If Germany takes a medal the team that they beat would likely squeal for years.


He has German heritage so I don't see why anybody could complain. I understand he joined the national squad out of the blue, but you have no idea what his home life was like, after all one of his parents was half-german. His grandad might have spent a lot of time with the kids making sure they knew where they came from. 

I don't see how this is any different than the Americans who claim they are Irish despite never being there.


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