Why is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander considered an “international” player?

[Blazing_royale]

He's Canadian. It's simple.

[brutalitops]

Next you'll tell me Kyrie isn't Australian

[brutalitops]

Lots of international players outside of Europe will move to the USA if showing promise to get into American high school. Few Australians do it (not saying they all make it to the NBA) but it's like not this uncommon thing

[Slimjimzv]

1. What difference does it make?
2. Because he's Canadian. Canada is a nation other than the United States. Hence, international of the United States.

This seems pretty straightforward.

[Hornet Mania]

Next you’re going to tell me Kyle Anderson isn’t Chinese?!?

Isn't he Taiwanese? Taiwan isn't really part of China.

Pretty sure Taiwan's official position since 1949 is that they are the real China. Their constitution claims they are the legitimate successors to the Republic of China and the current Chinese government is illegitimate.

So if he's Taiwanese he's technically kind of Chinese. It's complicated

[SomeBunghole]

The real question is why the NBA, having had a team in Canada for almost 30 years now, still considers the league to be an "American" one? And classifies Canadians with Europeans and South Americans as international players?

[shrink]

The real question is why the NBA, having had a team in Canada for almost 30 years now, still considers the league to be an "American" one? And classifies Canadians with Europeans and South Americans as international players?

Hmmm. Or go the other way. If some TOR fans complain that Americans aren’t giving their one NBA championship enough gold star stickers, move their franchise back to the US to solve the problem. After all, this is the NATIONAL Basketball Association. And they got that championship with mostly non-Canadian players anyway.

[RiRuHoops]

The real question is why the NBA, having had a team in Canada for almost 30 years now, still considers the league to be an "American" one? And classifies Canadians with Europeans and South Americans as international players?

Where do you get this that NBA think of themselves as American. I'm pretty sure they display 2 flags up under the ceiling in all NBA arenas (US and CAN)

[Chuck Everett]

Well technically, Canadian players are [North] American. Same would be for Mexican players as well.

[JimmyFromNz]

He was born and raised in Canada, another country...

Switching high schools to Tenn. obviously to pursue better basketball opportunities doesn't change that fact.

Having then chosen to represent the country where he was born and raised, why is this a question?

If we want further proof, just consider how he carries himself - that is definitely not a product of the USA.

[disoblige]

Ethnicity and nationality(citizenship) are different. Example, Marbury can technically play for China but he isnt a "real chinese". Basing players on nationality, technically comes to legal papers and preference, not their origin and ethnicity.

[wegotthabeet]

should canada just merge with the US?

[Slot Machine]

What is the obsession on this site of American vs. foreign-born players? Nobody talks about basketball like this in real life.

[disoblige]

should canada just merge with the US?

We have different laws and way of life.

Watch on YouTube

[Nuntius]

Shai was born in Canada, went to high school in Tennessee and played college ball at Kentucky. How this any different than Patrick Ewing, who was born in Jamaica, went to high school in Massachusetts and played college ball at Georgetown? Why isn’t Ewing considered an international player?

Why aren’t Steve Nash and Tim Duncan considered international players? Nash was born in South Africa and raised in Canada. Duncan was born and raised in the Virgin Islands. Shouldn’t they be apart of the so-called “international takeover” that I keep hearing about?

Seems like most people don’t consider them foreign since played in the NCAA. Yet Embiid, Sabonis, and Shai all played in the NCAA and are all considered foreign players.

I’ve even seen people call Karl Towns an international player because his mom is Dominican, even though he was was born and raised in New Jersey. So should Kareem be considered an international player since his parents are from Trinidad?

We might as well call Shaq an international player since his stepdad is Jamaican.

It seems like the definition of “international” has been changed to inflate the dominance of foreign players on today’s league. Jokic, Luka, and Giannis are the only purely foreign superstars in the league right now.

Shai is considered an international player because he's Canadian. Canada isn't a part of the US, it's just that USA's hat.

Patrick Ewing isn't considered an international player because he played for team USA. Ewing and his family immigrated to the States when Ewing was 13. That was before Ewing had picked up basketball (he played cricket and association football while in Jamaica). Ewing picked up basketball in the States and has gone on to live the entirety of his life in the US after moving there.

Contrast with Shai who already played basketball in Canada growing up and specifically moved to the US as a 17-year old to improve his basketball skills. There is a pretty big difference here. Ewing immigrated to to the United States. Shai didn't.

Ewing came over as a 13-year old kid who didn't even play basketball at the time, picked up the sport in the States, learned the sport in the States and ended up representing team USA at the national level.

Shai picked up basketball in Canada, moved to the US as a 17-year old trying to improve his basketball skills and ultimately play basketball professionally and represents team Canada at the national level.

As for Steve Nash, he absolutely IS an international player. Who the heck says otherwise? Steve Nash, like Shai, is a Canadian. Heck, he was the GM of Canada's national team for 6 years. Nash was absolutely part of the international takeover of his time.

Tim Duncan was indeed born and raised in the US Virgin Islands. That is accurate. But the US Virgin Islands aren't an independent nation. There is a reason why that "US" is part of their name. The US Virgin Islands is a territory of the United States. An unincorporated and organized territory, similar to Guam. People born in the US Virgin Islands are American citizens. They have been ever since 1927. So, yeah, Duncan cannot really be an international player. He's an American citizen from the time he was born.

KAT is a Dominican-American. His mother is Dominican and his father is American. He has dual citizenship which can definitely happen as long as the laws of both countries allow it (nationality laws are complex). People have started calling him an international player because he chose to represent the Dominican Republic at the international level to honor his mother.

Is KAT an international player? Frankly, it's a weird case. He IS playing for the Dominican Republic at the national level and since the Dominican Republic is an independent country and not part of the US then, sure, one could call him international. But KAT was also born in the United States, grew up there, learned how to play basketball there and one of his parents was American. So, frankly, he's a bit of both. I'd say that KAT is whatever he decides to be and be done with it. It's just an edge case, really

The case of Domantas Sabonis, on the other hand, is a lot more crystal clear. Domantas Sabonis was born in the States to two Lithuanian parents. He was born in the States because his father, Arvydas, was playing in the NBA at the time of his birth. But when Arvydas retired from basketball, he moved with his family to Spain. Domantas was 8 years old at the time. He and his family stayed in Malaga and Domantas started playing basketball there for Unicaja Malaga, coming through the team's academy. That's where he learned to play basketball but, well, being the son of a basketball legend, he'd probably have picked up basketball wherever he was. Domantas Sabonis has dual citizenship, much like KAT has, but unlike KAT, he isn't actually a US basketball product.

After spending 10 years in Spain (from 8 to 18) he moved back to the States to play collegiate basketball for Gonzaga. That is pretty similar to what Shai did, moving to the US to pursue a basketball career. Moving to the US to pursue a basketball career does not necessarily make one an American.

But Domantas DID have American citizenship. He had American citizenship because he was born in the States and the US is a jus soli country. Unrestricted jus soli (the type that the US and most of the Americas have) means that any person who is born in the borders of said country is automatically a citizen of said country. He also has Lithuanian citizenship because he was born to two ethnic Lithuanian parents (Lithuania is a leges sanguinis country which means that people born outside Lithuania to ethnic Lithuanian parents have the right to Lithuanian citizenship). It's important to note here that Sabonis could also apply for Spanish citizenship if he so wanted because he did reside in Spain for 10 years but it doesn't look like he's interested. Again, nationality laws are complex

[Nuntius]

Next you’re going to tell me Kyle Anderson isn’t Chinese?!?

Isn't he Taiwanese? Taiwan isn't really part of China.

Pretty sure Taiwan's official position since 1949 is that they are the real China. Their constitution claims they are the legitimate successors to the Republic of China and the current Chinese government is illegitimate.

So if he's Taiwanese he's technically kind of Chinese. It's complicated

That is indeed their official position. Remember, the country's official name is the Republic of China (ROC for short).

[Black Jack]

The real question is why the NBA, having had a team in Canada for almost 30 years now, still considers the league to be an "American" one? And classifies Canadians with Europeans and South Americans as international players?

Most of Canada lives in Toronto which is basically right next to Buffalo NY. It's silly to pretend there's much difference anyway. It's just an imaginary line.

[disoblige]

Isn't he Taiwanese? Taiwan isn't really part of China.

Please don't bring this up to Chinese folks. The majority think they own Taiwan. You may enrage certain people. If this opinion gains traction, their government will invade it.

[Nuntius]

I don’t consider Steve Nash American.

No one considers Steve Nash an American. The guy doesn't have American citizenship and he's **** knighted in Canada. OP was straight-up wrong on this one

[RiRuHoops]

The real question is why the NBA, having had a team in Canada for almost 30 years now, still considers the league to be an "American" one? And classifies Canadians with Europeans and South Americans as international players?

Most of Canada lives in Toronto which is basically right next to Buffalo NY. It's silly to pretend there's much difference anyway. It's just an imaginary line.

What ? Toronto Metro is 6.6 mil, while whole Canada is 39 mil. I'm outraged by your ignorant statement and I'm not even a Canadian