The Timberwolves have finished this season, and the news about whether Kyle Anderson (Chinese named Kyle Lee) can be naturalized to join the Chinese men's basketball team to compete in the World Cup has been widely concerned. Recently, it was reported that Anderson has promised to play in the World Cup for the Chinese men's basketball team, and he plans to leave for China in 10 days. In this regard, Anderson's agent team told a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily on the 28th that Anderson's naturalization will not be completed soon, and the team is still communicating with the Chinese Basketball Association, and it is temporarily uncertain whether it can catch up with the World Cup.
Anderson, 29 years old and 2.06 meters tall, has a Chinese father and a Jamaican mother, which makes him one-eighth Chinese. In the summer of 2018, he came to China to start a family search trip, visiting Xinmu New Village, Longgang District, Shenzhen, his great-grandfather's hometown, and was included in the family tree under Li Kaier's Chinese name. This relationship also made him a naturalized target for the Chinese men's basketball team.
Since the news began to become a Chinese national, Kyle Anderson has been known as Li Kyle by Chinese fans. He averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists for the Timberwolves during the regular season and played in four games in the first round of the playoffs, averaging 8.5 points, four rebounds and 4.5 assists. However, Anderson suffered an eye injury during the playoffs and is currently recovering from the injury.
Anderson has previously talked about whether to join the Chinese men's basketball team in an interview, saying: "This matter will be decided after the season after the family and the agent team." At the same time, Anderson said that he likes China very much, and he has many unforgettable memories from his previous family visits, and he also said that he is looking forward to returning to China.
Now that the Timberwolves have finished this season, should Anderson's joining the Chinese men's basketball team also be on the agenda? Anderson's agent team told the Beijing Youth Daily reporter that because there is no precedent for this kind of thing before, all aspects are groping for progress, and the team is still communicating with the Chinese Basketball Association on this matter, and his affairs will not be determined soon. It is also impossible to judge whether he will be able to make it to this year's World Cup.
Anderson is an active NBA player and a regular for the Timberwolves. If Anderson can join the Chinese men's basketball team, it will inevitably enhance the strength of the Chinese men's basketball team and lay a good foundation for them to achieve their goal of qualifying for the Paris Olympics at the World Cup. Previously, Yao Ming, chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, made it clear: "The Chinese men's basketball team is open to naturalized players, and the higher the level, the better." But at the same time, it should be pointed out that Anderson's position is a forward, and the Chinese men's basketball team is actually not too lacking in this position, such as Zhang Zhenlin, Zhou Peng, Zeng Fanbo, Zhu Junlong and others, all have a little characteristics and abilities. In fact, if the Chinese men's basketball team wants to compete with European and American teams, the position they need to strengthen most is the backcourt. Because the current backcourt players of the Chinese men's basketball team still have a certain degree of competitiveness in Asia, but in the world arena, the gap is still quite obvious.
Of course, neither naturalizing Anderson nor other players is an easy task. The Chinese men's basketball team must also rely on local forces to strive for a good performance in the World Cup.
Text/Beiqing Sports Song Xiang