Bball nations and bball community in general are fine with ethnic-based justifications for now, and to me it has also been the case (Koufos, Calathes, Sabonis, etc). I actually never considered Sabonis case, as it would be no-brainer.
At least in football, Turkey benefited hugely from Europe-born Turkish players, and we were upset for a while because Mesut Ozil, Hakan Yakin, Gokhan Inler, etc did not choose Turkish NT. It felt like they should have, even if they did not grow up.
But, I see boz74's point. Maybe not to that extend to prevent Sabonis's eligibility, but there should be a more strict limit. 2-years time in domestic league it could be or FIBA can limit the depth of ethic-ties (max 1 generation deep, maybe?). Otherwise, we will all start complaining when German, England, Ireland, etc NT's start bringing NBA stars and suddenly become bball powerhouses
. It's theoretically possible (and could be justified in the same logic).
At least in football, Turkey benefited hugely from Europe-born Turkish players, and we were upset for a while because Mesut Ozil, Hakan Yakin, Gokhan Inler, etc did not choose Turkish NT. It felt like they should have, even if they did not grow up.
But, I see boz74's point. Maybe not to that extend to prevent Sabonis's eligibility, but there should be a more strict limit. 2-years time in domestic league it could be or FIBA can limit the depth of ethic-ties (max 1 generation deep, maybe?). Otherwise, we will all start complaining when German, England, Ireland, etc NT's start bringing NBA stars and suddenly become bball powerhouses

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