Home|Sports|Thompson expresses interest in playing for The BahamasSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 5, 2023 432 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas has advanced as far as it ever has in men’s basketball, but in order to get further, they would have to keep building team structure and cohesiveness going into an Olympic year in 2024.

The program received a major boost over the weekend as National Basketball Association (NBA) star guard with the Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson cited interest in playing for the national team. The Bahamas senior men’s national basketball team is one step away from advancing to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, and in so doing, becoming the first representatives of the country in a team sport at the Olympic level.

It’s a realistic possibility, and with, potentially, its biggest pull to date, optimism is at its highest point going into next summer’s qualifying tournaments.

In August, The Bahamas stunned Argentina, winning the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament, going undefeated in four games against some of the best teams in the FIBA Americas region. They defeated Argentina twice on their home floor, at the Estadio Ciudad de Santiago del Estero, in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, cementing themselves as top notch contender in men’s basketball in this region.

With the win, The Bahamas has advanced to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, which are set for July 2-7, 2024. Just the winners of those qualifying tournaments will move on to the Paris Olympic Games in men’s basketball, and The Bahamas is right in the mix.

“… [W]hen it comes to Bahamian basketball, I couldn’t be more proud of what they have accomplished the past few weeks, especially Chris DeMarco, Buddy Hield, DeAndre Ayton, Eric Gordon and the rest of the Bahamians. Those guys, they had the biggest win in our country’s history, as far as beating Argentina twice on their home soil, not an easy task. Argentina is ons of the best teams in the world and it’s just going to do wonders for the country,” said Klay Thompson.

Thompson, the middle son of Bahamian legendary basketball player Mychal ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson, is intrigued by the idea of playing for The Bahamas next summer. The older Thompson is a former No.1 overall draft pick in the NBA and has always professed his love and affinity for The Bahamas.

“When that time comes, I will give it serious consideration just because of what The Bahamas meant to the Thompson family, especially my father,” Thompson explained during his trip to Manila, Philippines, to launch his shoe brand ‘ANTA KT9’.

“My father never had a chance to play for The Bahamas because they just didn’t have the chance to do so back in the 70’s and the 80’s,” said Klay. “Now my brother Mychel is coaching with them which is also a really nice thing. Now, I’m focused only on the upcoming NBA season but when that time comes next summer, I’ll consider the possibility.”

Thompson, 33, was born in Los Angeles, California, USA, and is an American citizen, but by means of his father being born and raised in The Bahamas, he has an option to switch allegiance for basketball and play for the nation of his father’s birth. For that to happen, USA Basketball would have to release him, and FIBA would then approve the switch. Thompson played at the international level for Team USA, winning a gold medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup and another at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

To be eligible to play for Team Bahamas, Thompson would have to follow a similar path as Gordon who played for the United States of America (USA) at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Gordon’s release was approved just hours before the pre-qualifiers in Argentina, and he went on to help The Bahamas win the gold medal in those pre-qualifiers. Thompson has already an interest in playing for The Bahamas, and now, it’s just up to USA Basketball to release him and for FIBA to approve the release.

Last month, The Bahamas recorded its biggest accomplishment ever in basketball, winning the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament behind the leadership of three NBA players – Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield of the Indiana Pacers and Ayton and Gordon of the Phoenix Suns. Kai Jones, of the Charlotte Hornets, is also committed to the program.

Now, they might secure their biggest pull to date – four-time NBA Champion and five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.