“After the team practice on Monday, Hayes confirmed with reporters that he received his Slovenian passport. This makes him eligible to play for the Slovenian men’s national basketball team, together with Doncic.

“We got my Slovenian passport,” Hayes said. “It really came through. Luka’s been calling me ‘my Slovenian brother.’ He says it all the time.”

Hayes, Doncic and their agent, Bill Duffy, have been pursuing a Slovenian passport for the Lakers big man since October 2025. According to the backup center, part of the reason why he wanted to play for a different country was because of the “invite-only” process of USA Basketball.

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/jaxson-hayes-receives-slovenian-passport-003003685.html

Slovenia getting a legit NBA rim-running big next to Luka would be a really fun to watch especially with international rules.

back2ya | Knicks

174 | 4 hours ago

Women of Slovenia better watch out

Alert-Effective-1730

21 | 4 hours ago

There’s a reason his girl knew to leave quick

PrideOfAmerica

5 | 3 hours ago

U arghh trying 2 brake me brain

Spare-Associate-5063 | Lakers

0 | an hour ago

Slovenian women don’t put up with BS

swish_aj

95 | 4 hours ago

No Slovenian ancestry. Seems lame af to me…

sonfoa | Knicks

47 | 3 hours ago

Seriously, if you’re not going to have ancestry, at least set the bar to someone who plays within the country.

Otherwise, it kind of just becomes a big joke.

Wrsj | Knicks

12 | 2 hours ago

It already is cause embiid played for usa

Islanduniverse | NBA

34 | an hour ago

Hasn’t he lived in the US since he was 16, and is a US citizen?

In a country that is almost all immigrants or the progeny of immigrants, I don’t see how there is anything wrong with him playing on team USA.

AnonimousMn471 | Bucks

8 | 39 minutes ago

Honestly I wouldn’t have minded that if he didn’t write to the president of France begging for French citizenship to play for Team France, only to play for Team USA. Pick a lane and don’t try to lie.

Artimusjones88 | Raptors

-15 | an hour ago

Birth should be the determination. Not born in country X… too bad

SHashbrowns1 | Lakers

8 | 37 minutes ago

There should be zero distinction between birthright and naturalized citizenship

3luejays | Raptors

1 | 8 minutes ago

What? So Steve Nash should never be able to play for us?

preddevils6 | Grizzlies

18 | 2 hours ago

Embiid developed, lived, and became a citizen of the US. If Hayes did all that in Slovenia no one would care.

RedtheGamer100 | Hornets

4 | an hour ago

Embiid’s been a usc….

[deleted]

-17 | 3 hours ago

[deleted]

Gambol_Celica | Timberwolves

19 | 3 hours ago

American citizen who has lived in the US since he was ten, got married, and had kids with a us citizen. It seems like he is American to me

1850ChoochGator | Trail Blazers

3 | 2 hours ago

Joel’s been here since he was 16 not ten fwiw

Gambol_Celica | Timberwolves

1 | an hour ago

Sorry he spent his formative years here.

haaammooond | Cavaliers

19 | 3 hours ago

you think Hayes getting the citizenship to play for a country he’s never lived in is less silly than Embiid getting a citizenship for a country he’s lived half his life in and his son is born in ? lmao

randombrutha | Timberwolves

6 | 3 hours ago

It’s not even close, Embiid is an American who lives in the US and has been calling it home for ages, Hayes afaik has never lived in Slovenia.

scalem0ss

6 | 3 hours ago

This is peak smooth brain Redditor logic right here.

Luka77GOATic | Serbia

-37 | 4 hours ago

It’s to allow smaller countries a chance to compete. Germanys population is about x40 times Slovenias. Plus there’s a limit to the amount of naturalised players.

timestalker78

54 | 3 hours ago

It’s just a little bit silly to let just about anybody represent whatever country they want.

crimxona | Canada

6 | 3 hours ago

It’s a cap of one player

Omega-Toad-7017 | Bulls

2 | 3 hours ago

thats actually even more wack

randombrutha | Timberwolves

22 | 3 hours ago

The sentence is even silly to read. What’s the point of national teams then?

SnoopRion69 | Heat

1 | 3 hours ago

Take over other countries smh

yjk924 | Cavaliers

1 | 31 minutes ago

To make money.

smor729

13 | 3 hours ago

That’s not the point or spirit of the Olympics though. If you have multiple citizenships from birth or heritage that is one thing, but to just join a different countries team in order to boost them makes it professional sports, which is not the point

naive-dragon | LAL

2 | 33 minutes ago

There are like 1.5x more people in the Philippines than in Germany, we also live and breathe basketball, but we suck in the world-stage. Lol. It’s not about the population.

likewoahitsaj | Bucks

85 | 4 hours ago

Him thinking he could make the USA roster if it wasn’t “invite only” is peak comedy/over confidence

Luka77GOATic | Serbia

45 | 3 hours ago

If only we could fuse Hayes confidence and self belief with Aytons body and skills.

ClearH | Mavericks

3 | an hour ago

Am I misremembering or it’s him that say there’s “people behind the scenes” that prevented him from getting into the All rookie team??

PointBlankCoffee | United States

63 | 3 hours ago

This is so ridiculous and shouldn’t be allowed lol

Ld511 | Bulls

5 | 40 minutes ago

Tbf if he legit gets citizenship you can’t do much

Skip_To_My_Lou2 | LAL

1 | 9 minutes ago

I’m pretty sure each country gets 1 naturalized citizen so if he went through the process it’s all valid

PointBlankCoffee | United States

1 | 6 minutes ago

“Within the current legal framework” doesn’t mean it isnt ridiculous, or that the rules should allow this.

legend023 | Pelicans

29 | 4 hours ago

Jaxson will probably be good in FIBA. He’s gotten better over the years

came1opard

-25 | 4 hours ago

Better at what? A couple seasons ago he seemed on the brink to becoming a solid rotation big, getting regular minutes behind Anthony Davis, but at this time he is just six fouls to give DeAndre Ayton a breather. When you cannot get minutes behind Ayton…

Ok_Turn6757 | Lakers

1 | 31 minutes ago

You mean the guy that just outplayed Sengoon in the playoffs?

Luka77GOATic | Serbia

19 | 4 hours ago

“We got my Slovenian passport,” Hayes said. “It really came through. Luka’s been calling me ‘my Slovenian brother.’ He says it all the time.”

EquivalentPace7357

12 | 3 hours ago

If Jaxson Hayes is Slovenian, then I’m the King of Ljubljana.

FIBA eligibility is getting wild, but honestly, a Luka and Hayes pick and roll with international goaltending rules is going to be a nightmare to defend. Catching lobs is basically a universal language anyway.

Young_KingKush

8 | 2 hours ago

Luka gassed the man the fuck up all season so he could have a consistent lob threat when he goes home to play, I’m not even mad at it lmao

turnip_broker | Minneapolis Lakers

1 | 28 minutes ago

Yeah I get people not liking countries giving random athletes citizenship for the Olympics. But if their country’s best player is a generational talent and already works well with his current teammate, and the said teammate is willing? Yeah why the hell not

Apprehensive-Map-666 | Knicks

7 | 3 hours ago

Should have a passport straight to a cell

Zestyclose-Phrase268

6 | 4 hours ago

Of course with Lukas connections he would get that passport

MembershipSingle7137 | Celtics

5 | 4 hours ago

Luka’s about to teach him all the “Slovenian” trash talk

Luka77GOATic | Serbia

5 | 4 hours ago

“USA doesn’t do open tryouts,” Hayes said in October. “And I feel like there are guys they invite to the USA [training camp] that shouldn’t be there. So, I wanted to just play on that stage … I’m going to do whatever it takes to play on that stage.”

SquimJim | Celtics

36 | 4 hours ago

Now I’m curious who on the US team he thinks he should be in over lol

Massive-Toe3714

14 | 4 hours ago

As an NBA player you probably want this level of self confidence.

But also this could be posturing/his way of justifying it to himself. L

ntpbr1

7 | 3 hours ago

Tatum hand Jaxson a water

moneymakinn

2 | an hour ago

specifically which centre lol

No-Signature8815

3 | 3 hours ago

Isn’t he an abuser?

lialialia20 | Timberwolves

1 | 29 minutes ago

like half the redeem team inducted in the hof lol

rounder55 | Celtics

3 | 2 hours ago

Has Jaxson Hayes ever been to Slovenia? Seems a wee bit ridiculous

DarkoDragicevic

3 | an hour ago

Dončić teammate from Real Madrid, ex NBA, Anthony Randolph was first naturalized player in Luka NT tenure. 2017 they won Eurobasket, Luka was 18 and that upcoming season they won Euroleague together, Luka was MVP of Final Four. Recipe?

OliverDMcCall | Wizards

2 | 2 hours ago

As if Hayes of all players would ever make the USA roster…

[deleted]

1 | 4 hours ago

[deleted]

Beneficial_One_272

1 | 4 hours ago

what does this have to do with joker lol

KhanQu3st | Mavericks

1 | 3 hours ago

Trying to copy Gafford lol

Bitter-Whole-7290

1 | 2 hours ago

This is dumb but also Slovenia couldn’t do better than Jaxson fucking Hayes?

98Kane

1 | an hour ago

How is he eligible for a Slovenian passport? Is his grandparent Slovenian or something?

All the news reports just says he got a passport. Do they just dish them out to anybody they feel like?

GONEBUTNOT4GOTTEN | Lakers

1 | 18 minutes ago

lob to hayes!

Crying_in_99Ranch | NBA

1 | 11 minutes ago

Apparently all you need to be Slovenian is someone to call you one. The passport application basically is

“Did someone call you a Slovenian brother or sister?”

Y or N

“Name of Slovenian who did”

And you got it

Artistic_Buffalo_715 | Celtics

1 | 9 minutes ago

This man’s friends are gonna fucking hate him when they go away to Europe lol. EU passport is a hell of a hack

desirox | Mavericks

1 | 3 minutes ago

Jaxson Hayesivc

1GeorgeMarcus2MJ8LBJ | Rockets

-2 | 3 hours ago

Slovenia can keep the woman beater Jaxson Hayes, who should currently be behind bars for injuring a police officer in an altercation where he had to be tased twice. Revoke his US citizenship while you’re at it

fun fact, he’s also being sued by the Wizards mascot for pushing them 2 months ago in February.

Vonderis | Bulls

-1 | 2 hours ago

Pathetic

osaku_ | South Sudan

-1 | 2 hours ago

Luka loves woman beaters 💔

Jaxson Hayes has Received a Slovenian Passport, Eligible to Join “Slovenian Brother” Luka Doncic on National Team for Olympics and FIBA World Cup