Wolves' Kyle Anderson Announces He'll Play for China in 2023 FIBA World Cup in Video
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson will represent China in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup after becoming a naturalized citizen of the country.
Anderson's Chinese lineage goes back to his great-grandpa.
Mike Chan of the South China Morning Post reported in April that Anderson got the naturalization process underway in 2022. Chan noted the 6'9" point forward may have to renounce his United States citizenship as well since the Chinese government doesn't permit dual nationalities.
China will open the World Cup on Aug. 26 against Serbia. Coach Aleksandar Đorđević unveiled his preliminary 18-man squad in June, but teams still have the opportunity to augment their roster ahead of the tournament.
Assuming he makes the final cut, Anderson will be the only player based in the NBA to suit up for China.
The 29-year-old is coming off another solid season. He averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 69 games for Minnesota, and he shoot 50.9 percent overall and 41.0 percent from three-point range.
China, which is 27th in the FIBA men's ranking, is looking to improve on its World Cup outcome from four years ago. The host country failed to advance out of the preliminary round en route to a 24th-place finish.
