Kyrie Irving Hopes to Suit Up for Australia at the 2028 Summer Olympics

Kyrie Irving of Team USA celebrates scoring during the FIBA World Basketball Championship final against Serbia at Palacio de los Deportes on Sept. 14, 2014, in Madrid. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Whenever you think of the best Australian-born NBA players, the likes of Ben Simmons, Josh Giddey, Patty Mills, and former player Andrew Bogut come to mind. But the greatest NBA player to come from Down Under was actually raised in New Jersey, and that’s Kyrie Irving.

The nine-time All-Star was born in Melbourne, Australia, when his father, Drederick, was playing professionally for the East Australian Basketball League. When Kyrie Irving was 2, the family moved back to the United States, where he’s lived ever since, but he does hold citizenship in both the United States and Australia.

That brings us to the headline of Irving expressing his desire to suit up for Team Australia at the 2028 Olympics. On Sunday at the NBA All-Star Game, an Australian reporter in town asked about Irving teasing, in the past, about suiting up for Australia, and the reporter directly asked if the player would finally pull the trigger for the next Summer Olympics.

“We’re in the process of that right now,” Irving revealed. “Just trying to figure out what’s going to be the best route for me to be eligible. There’s a lot of paperwork in between that. Obviously, Team USA still has a decision to make. But for me, I’m just trying to do what’s best for me. Honestly, if I can be an Aussie at one point in my career and play for the Australian team, that would be great.”

Irving said USA Basketball would have to grant him approval to switch, as he first pledged his allegiance to the United States in 2012. He chose Team USA over Team Australia back then and would first compete for the Red, White and Blue at the 2014 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup. He led Team USA to the gold medal and was named the FIBA World Cup MVP and the 2014 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. Two years later, he suited up at the 2016 Summer Olympics and won his only Olympic gold medal.

But since then, Irving has been passed over when it comes to Olympic teams. He was on the preliminary list of candidates for both the 2020 and 2024 teams, getting bypassed each time. Even with international basketball leaning more toward guard play than the NBA, Irving hasn’t suited up for Team USA since 2016.

That has him looking at his birthplace as a way to participate in the Olympics again. Irving will be 36 when 2028 rolls around, but age won’t keep him off the team. Steph Curry, who was one of the point guards who made Team USA over Irving at the 2024 Olympics, was 36 for the Paris Games. Meanwhile, Mills suited up for Australia at the last Olympics at the same age, turning 36 a week after Australia was knocked out in the quarterfinals.

But letting Irving switch to the Aussies isn’t solely the decision of USA Basketball. He would also need approval from both FIBA and Basketball Australia.

If he gets approval from all parties, the Aussies would certainly welcome someone of Irving’s caliber. Australia has increased its presence in the NBA over the last few decades, but Team Australia’s accomplishments on the international stage are few and far between.

Across 16 Olympic appearances, the Boomers have never won gold or silver, with a bronze at the 2020 games being the team’s only medal. Things are even worse when it comes to the FIBA World Cup. Australia has participated in that event 13 times with zero medals, a fourth-place finish in 2019 being their best result.

Players born in one country but competing for another is common on the international stage and across all sports. Like Irving, Karl-Anthony Towns grew up in New Jersey and was even born in the state. However, Towns has competed for the Dominican Republic for the past 13 years, never suiting up for the United States, as he has Dominican citizenship through his mother.

Likewise, Domantas Sabonis was born in Portland, Ore., when his father, Arvydas, was playing for the Trail Blazers. But Domantas plays for Lithuania Basketball despite splitting his childhood between Portland and Spain. He also attained his dual citizenship through his parents.

Irving is averaging 24.6 points per game in his 14^th NBA season and second full year with the Dallas Mavericks. That tops his career average of 23.6 entering this season, while his field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage are also all above his career norms. So even as he approaches being an elder statesman in basketball, Team Australia would certainly welcome his presence in 2028.