Lakers' Jaxson Hayes Pursues Slovenian Passport to Join Luka Doncic Internationally

Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes is pursuing a Slovenian passport to play on the Slovenian national basketball team alongside his Lakers teammate Luka Doncic. The move is motivated by the restrictive nature of USA Basketball's invite-only selection process, which Hayes criticized for excluding players like himself despite their desire to compete internationally. Under FIBA rules, each national team is allowed one naturalized player, and Slovenia has approached Hayes to fill that role. Hayes and Doncic share the same agent, and their families are working together on the passport process. Lakers coach JJ Redick supports Hayes' pursuit of international experience, highlighting its value in player development. This opportunity allows Hayes to compete on the international stage, which he finds invaluable, especially since cracking the USA roster seems unlikely given his career statistics.