FIBA catch: Gordon plays for the Bahamas in the “interest of basketball”

Although FIBA clearly states that if a player plays for a country’s national team in his career, there is no longer the possibility to change the national team for which he plays, there is a way to “bypass” that rule. Erik Gordon will be joining the Bahamas national team for the upcoming summer.

There have been concerns surrounding FIBA’s impact on national basketball due to its policy of allowing players to become naturalized citizens. Additionally, there have been reports of teams violating FIBA regulations by changing their players.

NBA veteran Eric Gordon will play for the Bahamas even though he represented the United States in the 2010 World Cup in Turkey. According to Article 22 of the internal rules of FIBA, he can’t play for another national team. Still, this article can be denied if the player joins the national team whose program is in development and which is in the “best interest of basketball.”

So Gordon, born in Indiana, will play for the native country of his mother, born in the Bahamas. The Bahamas will have a hellish lineup at the pre-qualification tournament in Argentina because, in addition to Gordon, Deandre Ayton from Phoenix, Buddy Hield from Indiana, and Kai Jones from Charlotte will wear the jersey of this country.