Eurobasket 2022 Overview

[LuDux]

TBF, unlike families of some Newropeans, Embiid's family lives in France

[Straight forward]

How about the petition to FIBA from international fans base? Unfortunately this forum doesn't have such traffic as it used to be. Somehow this madness should stopped, it doesn't make any sense and completely kills the spirit of FIBA competition.

It's too bad that there's only few countries left with pride. If say Spain, Slovenia, France, Serbia, Lithuania, Greece, Italy, Germany would unite and would skip Eurobasket as an act of protest against naturalization, I bet FIBA would actually hear us. Good luck organizing the competition with scrubs. This block of federations would easily push FIBA and force them to make adjustments. The least it has to be done, no naturalized players for top 10 FIBA Europe tanked teams and the conditions for naturalization should more strict.

[BiHBasket]

My biggest issue with FIBA is actually that it's a organisation with extremely rigid regulations who can play for the national team(as the non-naturalized player).

FIFA: You are 22 years old, you were born in Germany and played for Germany U17, U19 and U21, but now you want to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina although you at right now don't have Bosnian passport, but your parents are from BiH? We will fix that, you will play for BiH together with a guys with same backstory from Sweden, Switzerland and Austria.

FIBA: You are 18 years old, you never played for any national team, both of your parents are from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but you didn't have Bosnian passport untill you were 16? Your only option is to play as naturalized player, only one of you because there are guys with same requests from Sweden, Switzerland and Austria, and your national team will anyway use that one spot for the American, so you all are screwed

[Furkan Korkmaz]

How about the petition to FIBA from international fans base? Unfortunately this forum doesn't have such traffic as it used to be. Somehow this madness should stopped, it doesn't make any sense and completely kills the spirit of FIBA competition.

It's too bad that there's only few countries left with pride. If say Spain, Slovenia, France, Serbia, Lithuania, Greece, Italy, Germany would unite and would skip Eurobasket as an act of protest against naturalization, I bet FIBA would actually hear us. Good luck organizing the competition with scrubs. This block of federations would easily push FIBA and force them to make adjustments. The least it has to be done, no naturalized players for top 10 FIBA Europe tanked teams and the conditions for naturalization should more strict.

Lmao, nobody is as obsessed with this rule as you... and why should Spain which naturalized (or rather STOLE, cause unlike Americans all of these players would be of great value for their respective home-countries) a Mirotic from Montenegro, Ibaka from Congo, and even tried to naturalize Doncic, and now Brown, join this protest of yours, as one of the countries with “pride”? xd

[Straight forward]

Lmao, nobody is as obsessed with this rule as you... and why should Spain which naturalized (or rather STOLE, cause unlike Americans all of these players would be of great value for their respective home-countries) a Mirotic from Montenegro, Ibaka from Congo, and even tried to naturalize Doncic, and now Brown, join this protest of yours, as one of the countries with “pride”? xd

No worries, bruh, you can have Larkin. Team below top 10 which can't win anything for decades can declare for it. Specially that Larkin indeed spent quite few years in Turkey already. I'm more pissed on cases like Spain, Slovenia, France. Those can be really good without naturalization, but they are selling out as f...

[Furkan Korkmaz]

No worries, bruh, you can have Larkin. Team below top 10 which can't win anything for decades can declare for it. Specially that Larkin indeed spent quite few years in Turkey already. I'm more pissed on cases like Spain, Slovenia, France. Those can be really good without naturalization, but they are selling out as f...

Ok thanks for allowing us to have Larkin, very kind of you : p. But by your logic you should allow yourself a naturalization too, afterall, with our “nothing for decades” our last medal on the global stage (world cup) was 2010, “yours” 1990 (sort of as, S.U), or bronze at 2000 for olympics. Dont be so strict you dont think any less of Slovenia when their only achievement also came with Randolph one of the best PF’s of Euroleague.

[Straight forward]

Ok thanks for allowing us to have Larkin, very kind of you : p. But by your logic you should allow yourself a naturalization too, afterall, with our “nothing for decades” our last medal on the global stage (world cup) was 2010, “yours” 1990 (sort of as, S.U), or bronze at 2000 for olympics. Dont be so strict you dont think any less of Slovenia when their only achievement also came with Randolph one of the best PF’s of Euroleague.

Not really. Our last three medals 2010 WC (bronze), 2013 EB (silver), 2015 EB (silver). Yeah, we also suck recently, but still breathing at the back of top teams (which counts little off course). We are not going naturalize random American or African nevertheless. Slovenia could do well in 2017, 2021 even without naturalized players, IMO. Now their achievements are bitter sweet.

[Serbian_Layup]

France is serious about challenging USA in Olympic tournament at their home, and I think this move with Embiid tells a lot in that direction.

It seems that almost everybody are moving towards making good business decision for the sake of results. This is where national pride loses its imortance.

[Joško Poljak Fan]

Not really. Our last three medals 2010 WC (bronze), 2013 EB (silver), 2015 EB (silver). Yeah, we also suck recently, but still breathing at the back of top teams (which counts little off course). We are not going naturalize random American or African nevertheless. Slovenia could do well in 2017, 2021 even without naturalized players, IMO. Now their achievements are bitter sweet.

Well, not intending to provoke or anything, but in reality, noone really cares about naturalisation of Randolph over here or feels bitter sweet, to be honest. Some extreme bball fans might care a little, but at the same time, those will just cynicaly add that we'd easily play without a naturalised player and win some medals if managers, club owners etc. would let Slovenia play complete just once from 03' to 09', so now we're sort of even...

[Straight forward]

Well, not intending to provoke or anything, but in reality, noone really cares about naturalisation of Randolph over here or feels bitter sweet, to be honest. Some extreme bball fans might care a little, but at the same time, those will just cynicaly add that we'd easily play without a naturalised player and win some medals if managers, club owners etc. would let Slovenia play complete just once from 03' to 09', so now we're sort of even...

In my opinion even Randolph less Slovenia had chances to win Eurobasket 2017. Scoring, creating punch of Dragic, Doncic, Prepelic was just too deadly. And I understand the disappointment of 00's.

If that's the attitude of Slovenians it's completely different than Lithuanians. FOA, we are not even close considering naturalization and will probably never will be (still having enough of local talent even if lacking super talents). But if that would even happen, it would become never ending topic for discussions and controversy.

[BiHBasket]

Slovenia for a long time had same behavior pattern: Find young center in Bosnia and Herzegovina, bring him to Slovenian team, give him passport and use him in the Slovenian national team. They did it with Rizvic, Begic and Omic. Only young center in Slovenia who refused their passport was Nurkic. While he is not center, they did it same with Preldzic, but he later realized that Turkey jersey is even more useful for him, and against all rules, just because Turkey is basketball powerhouse, he was allowed to change his national team jersey one more time.

[Dirtyh]

If that's the attitude of Slovenians it's completely different than Lithuanians. FOA, we are not even close considering naturalization and will probably never will be (still having enough of local talent even if lacking super talents). But if that would even happen, it would become never ending topic for discussions and controversy.

What if someone, let's say Zalgiris' american player, finds a wife there, get kids and settles his life there? Or now 15yo Ukrainian kid comes to Lithuania as a refugee, stays there are after 5 years wants to represent Lithuania? What about players like Matas Buzelis? Because these are common stories in Nordic countries. I'm not attacking against you. I'm just curious to know how strict is the public opinion in Lithuania.

BTW is Emir Sulejmanovic playing as a naturalized player for Bosnia? Because he is raised in Finland and represented Finland in U16 level.

[Straight forward]

What if someone, let's say Zalgiris' american player, finds a wife there, get kids and settles his life there? Or now 15yo Ukrainian kid comes to Lithuania as a refugee, stays there are after 5 years wants to represent Lithuania? What about players like Matas Buzelis? Because these are common stories in Nordic countries. I'm not attacking against you. I'm just curious to know how strict is the public opinion in Lithuania.

Highly unlikely or I would even say impossible. On other hand, we didn't have some elite foreigner staying for 5 years (maybe some Tanoka Beard could be an exception, but he never married LT chick or showed interest in playing for LTU) so who knows, but, again, almost unimaginable. Eric Elliot, a good American PG, who played few seasons with Rytas (heck of a team at that time) actually wanted and asked to play for Lithuania was his request was declined.

Matas Buzelis is 100% Lithuanian. Parents pure Liths, father NT staff member, his other Lithuanian relatives are famous sportsmen too, he speaks Lithuanian in his family circle so it's not even a close case for naturalization, just is Ignas Brazdeikis. The same story (or Indrusaitis, another strong Lithuanian emigrant).

[LuDux]

What if someone, let's say Zalgiris' american player, finds a wife there, get kids and settles his life there? Or now 15yo Ukrainian kid comes to Lithuania as a refugee, stays there are after 5 years wants to represent Lithuania? What about players like Matas Buzelis? Because these are common stories in Nordic countries. I'm not attacking against you. I'm just curious to know how strict is the public opinion in Lithuania.

I don't think naturalization is possible under current Lithuanian constitution. Maybe in the future after referendum.

[Dirtyh]

Highly unlikely or I would even say impossible. On other hand, we didn't have some elite foreigner staying for 5 years (maybe some Tanoka Beard could be an exception, but he never married LT chick or showed interest in playing for LTU) so who knows, but, again, almost unimaginable. Eric Elliot, a good American PG, who played few seasons with Rytas (heck of a team at that time) actually wanted and asked to play for Lithuania was his request was declined.

It's hard to imagine that someone would like stay in Lithuania? Then it's totally different story than in Nordic countries.

Matas Buzelis is 100% Lithuanian. Parents pure Liths, father NT staff member, his other Lithuanian relatives are famous sportsmen too, he speaks Lithuanian in his family circle so it's not even a close case for naturalization, just is Ignas Brazdeikis. The same story (or Indrusaitis, another strong Lithuanian emigrant).

Your answer seemed to be so intese that there's been some kind of discussion about it? IMO those are totally natural stories and they are very ok to represent their parent's home country.

I don't think naturalization is possible under current Lithuanian constitution. Maybe in the future after referendum.

It's very in hard in Finland too. It's little bit easier if you get married and get kids but still very hard. You have to live here for 5 years and pay taxes here (you need to be min.180 days in a year inside Finnish borders and your official address be here). And you need to learn Finnish so well that you are able to handle everyday life with it. After that you are able to leave an application for citizenship and it still can take years to get it.