By Roy Ward
NBA star Kyrie Irving had every chance to play for Australia’s national basketball team, way back in 2011 and 2013, but he chose to play for Team USA.
So the 32-year-old NBA superstar’s comments at the NBA’s recent All-Star weekend, that he would love to play for Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and was in the process of trying to switch nationalities, caused quite the stir Down Under.
USA’s Kyrie Irving (left) faces off with Australia’s Matthew Dellavedova at Rio 2016.Credit: AP
Irving was born in Melbourne while his father Drederick was playing as an import for the Bulleen Boomers in 1992. The family then returned to the US as a baby where he was raised and educated, and rose to become one of the biggest names in the NBA, winning Olympic gold and a World Cup title with Team USA.
Is Irving finally coming “home”?
The answer to this? Nope. The reason? FIBA, basketball’s world governing body, hasn’t changed its rules.
FIBA has long maintained that when a player with dual nationalities plays for a country in an official FIBA competition, he or she is tied to that nation.
NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving (right) with Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury on July 1 2013.Credit: Sebastian Costanzo
Irving knew this in 2009 when he turned down then Boomers coach Brett Brown and Basketball Australia, who were chasing the teen. Brown wanted Irving for the 2012 London Games, and BA rolled the dice again in 2013 ahead of the 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics.
Back then, I wrote many of the stories about Irving and his future for this masthead. More than a decade down the track, I feel like I’m in a time loop, writing the same story again.
In 2013, Irving toured Australia in the NBA off-season in what was his first visit since birth. He saw the love that local fans had for him and told me in an interview that playing for the Boomers at Rio was a “great opportunity”.
But he also backed himself to make the powerhouse Team USA and in Rio played against the Boomers en route to winning gold. The risk for Irving was that he could be supplanted by younger stars – and that’s where we find ourselves now.
Articles 10 to 33 of FIBA’s Internal Regulations (book three) go into great detail on this issue but, in short, Irving is considered an American player and that decision is “irrevocable” under the regulations.
To attempt a switch, he enters the realm of red tape. Irving would need to get his Australian passport (or renew it, if lapsed) and file plenty of paperwork with BA to FIBA who would then want approval for the move from USA Basketball.
If those hurdles are cleared, FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis is required to make a final decision.
Irving will be 36 in LA 2028,and I’m sure whoever the next Boomers coach is would also want Irving for the World Cup in Qatar in 2027 as Australia must finish as the highest Oceania nation to qualify for LA.
He is still playing at an elite level in the NBA, helping Dallas to last year’s NBA finals and making his ninth All-Star appearance earlier this month, so he will likely be good enough to contribute in those campaigns.
But generally, switching between nations is almost unheard of. There have been some exceptions, but mostly for players from developed nations moving to developing nations to bolster their teams. This happened when Sunday Dech and several Australians were released by BA to play for South Sudan ahead of Paris 2024.
So, I went and asked everyone what was going on with Irving.
FIBA referred me to their rules and added that they had not been contacted by the relevant federations regarding Irving.
Basketball Australia are not commenting on Irving’s latest remarks, but would work with him and his representatives if they wanted to begin the long process of attempting a switch.
USA Basketball, meanwhile, said they had not received an inquiry from Irving about changing nationality.
And ask yourself this. If you were the US, would you want even the tiniest prospect of facing Kyrie and Australia in a medal or knockout match in 2028?
Ask this too. If you were one of the European powers like France, Germany, Greece or Serbia, who dream of medals in 2028, would you allow FIBA to consider giving Irving to the Boomers?
The answer is no on both fronts.
Brown recalled the Irving chase to Chris Appleby for his Australian basketball documentary Mad Rise, released in 2023.
The Brown quotes didn’t make the final cut, but Appleby published them on X after the recent Irving comments. Brown knew his only chance to get Irving was while he was young. He knew about his birthplace as it was Brown who recruited and coached Drederick at Bulleen.
“When I got the national job in 2009, I’d heard about Kyrie who was a [high school] junior in New Jersey and I just went on a maniacal recruiting plan to get him to be an Australian citizen because he was born in Melbourne,” Brown told Appleby.
“At the time, he was dealing with ‘Coach K’ [Duke University legend Mike Krzyzewski who coached Irving at Duke and with Team USA] and Kyrie was wondering, ‘How good am I going to be?’
Kyrie Irving takes flight during the NBA All-Star game earlier this month.Credit: AP
“My talk to him was that he was always going to have to beat out Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, John Wall, Steph Curry – if you want to play for America, this is your competition.
“He decided to do it and he played 10 games at Duke and was first pick in the NBA draft. He made, maybe, the right decision. He’s had an amazing run.”
Irving chose to be a USA player.
Now, the Boomers need to put their attention into developing our own NBA stars like Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels, as they will be the key to success in Qatar, LA and beyond.
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