The possibility of Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving playing for the Australian Boomers continues to gain momentum following his recent comments about facing former teammate Josh Green.
After a recent matchup against Green, Irving admitted the encounter felt surreal, saying:
“It was awkward. I’m not gonna lie to you, especially when he made that last defensive rebound. That is a Josh Green play all the way through… Hopefully I get to see him on the Aussie team soon.”
Kyrie Irving on facing Josh Green for the 1st time since he was traded:
“It was awkward. I’m not gonna lie to you, especially when he made that last defensive rebound. That is a Josh Green play all the way through…Hopefully I get to see him on the Aussie team soon.”
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) January 20, 2025
Over the past few months, Irving has increasingly expressed his ambitions to potentially switch to the Australian national team, acknowledging his admiration for the Boomers and his desire to represent the country where he was born.
Speaking to The Athletic in October, Irving entertained the possibility of switching allegiances ahead of the next Olympics, though he admitted the chances were slim.
“I would love to entertain playing for Team Australia, man,” Irving said.
“I don’t think it’s a strong, strong possibility at this point, depending on what the Olympic Committee does. But as a competitor, I was born in Australia. For me, it’s not a hard transition to make… I don’t want to fall into the trap of being let down or disappointed when I know that there are other opportunities out there for me.”
Irving, who was born in Melbourne before moving to the United States as a child, has consistently praised Australian players in the NBA and has strong relationships with Boomers stars such as Josh Green, Dante Exum, and Dyson Daniels.
Green isn’t the only Aussie Irving has shown admiration for and expressed a desire to play alongside. The NBA champion frequently refers to Dyson Daniels as his “Aussie brother,” further fueling speculation.
Kyrie Irving had big praise for his ‘Aussie brother’ Dyson Daniels after their game yesterday ???? ????????
( ???? via: nbaaustralia IG)#NBA pic.twitter.com/tuakyZjw0q
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) November 27, 2024
Irving has also been seen celebrating with his Mavericks teammates Green and Exum, proudly chanting “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!” after Dallas clinched the Eastern Conference championship in 2024.
Despite his enthusiasm, Irving has acknowledged that a switch to the Boomers isn’t straightforward. Team USA and FIBA would need to approve the transition, which could prove difficult given his past representation of the United States at the 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he won gold.
Former Boomers star Andrew Bogut recently weighed in on the situation, expressing scepticism about Irving’s chances of making the switch. Bogut, who has been vocal about the difficulties of changing national allegiances, pointed out how challenging it would be for Irving to receive the necessary clearances.
“I think the Team USA doors are closed for him [Irving]. I think with all the stuff that he’s been through the last four or five years, they probably wanted to stray away from Kyrie, and I think he knows that,” Bogut said on his Rogue Bogues podcast.
Kyrie Irving wanting to play for Australia.
You think FIBA will let him?
You can listen to the new episode here ???? https://t.co/XpXShdVaib #RogueBogues #LetsGetRogue@AndrewBogut pic.twitter.com/sP4013VEiY
— Rogue Bogues (@RogueBogues) October 22, 2024
“But for people getting excited, first and foremost, USA Basketball will do everything they can to block it. Secondly, you rarely see a first-world nation player go to another first-world nation. FIBA doesn’t typically allow that,” Bogut continued.
“I’d love to see him play for the Boomers, but let’s be real—getting FIBA and Team USA to sign off on that? Not likely,” Bogut added.
Irving has previously revealed that Team USA blocked him from representing Australia when he was younger.
“I consider myself an international player even though I played on Team USA,” Irving said.
“A lot of my peers laugh at me when I bring it up, but I was born in Australia. Team USA asked me to play for them when I was 17 or 18… I wanted to play for Australia, but it just didn’t happen.”
“Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) wasn’t going to let that happen either,” Irving added.
By the time the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics roll around, Irving will be 36 years old. While his age might be a factor, his skill and leadership could be valuable for the Boomers. However, for the dream to become a reality, significant administrative hurdles need to be cleared.
“I would love to entertain playing for Team Australia, but I don’t want to fall into the trap of being let down or disappointed when I know there are other opportunities out there for me,” Kyrie said.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
