After being passed over by Team USA, Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie will reportedly play for the Nigeria national team in the Olympics.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Dinwiddie is in the process of obtaining a Nigerian passport and will join the country’s basketball team.
Dinwiddie wasn’t included among the 44 finalists announced in February by USA Basketball for the Olympic roster.
Charania noted the Nigerian team includes NBA players Al-Farouq Aminu, Josh Okogie, Chimezie Metu and former NBA forward Ekpe Udoh. Current Golden State Warriors assistant coach and former Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown was hired by the national squad in February.
Nigeria has already clinched a spot in the Olympics after finishing as the best African team at the FIBA World Cup in the summer.
The International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Charter requires athletes to be nationals of the countries for which they compete. It’s common for athletes to compete at the Games for countries they weren’t born in—that was so for about 6 percent of 2018 Olympians.
Dinwiddie was born in Los Angeles and played college basketball at the University of Colorado.
The Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until summer 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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