It's been a dream for Australian basketball fans for some time now, but that dream could soon become a reality, with Kyrie Irving considering switching his allegiances to his country of birth ahead of the 2028 LA Olympics.
Irving - born in Melbourne before relocating to the USA at two years old - has represented the USA at both the 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2016 Olympics, but has often teased the possibility of donning the green and gold.
But after not being selected for the 2024 Paris Olympic team, Irving has given his strongest indication yet that he is serious about using his dual citizenship to represent the land Down Under.
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Speaking to The Athletic, Irving said that while playing for Team USA would be his preference given his history with the team, he would also welcome the chance to play for Australia.
"I would love to entertain playing for Team Australia, man," Irving said.
"I don’t think it’s a strong, strong possibility at this point, depending on what the Olympic Committee does.
"But as a competitor, I was born in Australia.
"For me, it’s not a hard transition to make, but I don’t want to fall into the same, I would say, probably like—I’m trying to be very intentional with my words here. I don’t want to fall into the trap of being let down or disappointed when I know that there are other opportunities out there for me."
Irving admitted that being left off the 2024 Team USA squad labeled 'The Avengers' was disappointing, especially not being given the chance to try out for the team in the same way as previous tournaments.
"I won’t say it was hurtful not to be able to try out, but it just was weird that we weren’t able to try out and get together as a group, because the USA team is not just 12 guys or 15 guys," he said.
"I was playing on Team USA when I was 17, 18. I won three gold medals. I won when I was 18, when I was 22, and I won one when I was 24. So there is a pride thing there, and I have history.
"There was such a great competitive pool that you can test yourself against because it’s the best in the world. It’s not every day you get a chance to go against [players of that caliber]."
Irving won gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, but did not take part in the 2020 Tokyo campaign.
Having previously represented the USA, he would require both his current nation and FIBA to grant him a release to play for Australia.
While Irving will be 36 years old come the tournament, his talent and experience could be immensely valuable for Australia; they suffered a deeply disappointing Paris campaign that saw them win just one of their four games.
However, there is no guarantee that even if the guard is cleared to join the team that they would select him; the Boomers caused controversy in the lead up to Paris by not selecting Portland Trail Blazer Matisse Thybulle, who also holds an Australian passport, and who was assumed by many to be a lock for the starting lineup, let alone the squad.
