Lakers player Jaxson Hayes is excited about the idea of playing alongside Luka Doncic, even outside the NBA. The 7-foot center is looking for ways to represent Slovenia in international competitions.
Hayes revealed that his agent, Bill Duffy, of WME Sports, proposed the idea of playing for Slovenia before Doncic was traded to Los Angeles. The player’s desire is to obtain a Slovenian passport to fill the naturalized citizen position allowed by the national team.
Hayes’ motivation includes the selection process for the United States basketball team.
The United States doesn’t do open tryouts. I feel like there are guys who get invited to the United States selection who shouldn’t be there. So I wanted to play on that stage… I’ll do whatever it takes to play on that stage.
Jaxson HayesDuffy also represented Anthony Randolph, an American player born in Germany who became naturalized and helped Slovenia win gold in the 2017 EuroBasket tournament. Duffy also represented Steve Nash and believes in how Nash’s experience in Canadian basketball helped him become a two-time NBA MVP.
Doncic led Slovenia to the quarterfinals of EuroBasket 2025 this summer and averaged 34.7 points per game, the most for a player in a single EuroBasket since Nikos Galis averaged 35.6 points for Greece in 1989.
Lakers coach JJ Redick supports Hayes’ interest in the Slovenian team.Parte de la motivación de Jaxson Hayes para querer jugar con su compañero de equipo de los Lakers, Luka Doncic, en la selección nacional de Eslovenia es el proceso de selección de USA Basketball y su falta de pruebas abiertas. “Haré lo que sea necesario para jugar en ese escenario”, dijo Hayes.The next major event Slovenia hopes to participate in is the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Doha, Qatar. There are six qualifying windows to earn a spot in the event, starting in November, but only two of the windows are outside the NBA season, making it unlikely that Hayes or Doncic will be major contributors.
