Los Angeles Lakers' star becomes Slovenian citizen

Los Angeles Lakers centre Jaxson Hayes has officially become a Slovenian citizen.

A teammate of Slovenian NBA star Luka Dončić, he will soon be joining the men's national basketball team, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

The 25-year-old athlete confirmed having completed the process of naturalisation as he spoke to the press after team practice on 20 April. He said that getting a Slovenian passport had frequently been a topic of conversation in the locker room.

"We got my Slovenian passport. That's all he's been telling me, saying he's my Slovenian brother every time," Hayes was quoted as saying in reference to Dončić by the news portal Eurohoops.

When asked how his Slovenian was coming along, Hayes said he did not know a single word, laughing, but then jokingly added that he knew a few Slovenian words, but could not say them in front of the press.

Hayes might get the first chance to join the Slovenian national team in July for their next round of FIBA World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers for games against Estonia and Sweden, hoping to secure a spot in the final qualifying stage, scheduled for August.

At the moment, the team is at the top of group H, having won three out of four games so far.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear when Dončić, who has suffered a hamstring injury, will play again. Following treatment in Spain, he had returned to Los Angeles and did an easy practice yesterday.

Tomorrow, the LA Lakers will play the second game of the first round of Western Conference playoffs, against the Houston Rockets. The Los Angeles team won the first game against the Texans 107:98.

Photo: Xinhua/STA