When the Australian men’s national team lands in Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics, there’s a chance that Atlanta Hawks rising star Dyson Daniels will be the best player on the team. If so, the Great Barrier Thief could emerge as the Boomers’ de facto captain, taking over for Los Angeles Clippers journeyman Patty Mills. With the way Daniels talks about the idea of Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving joining Team Australia, he may already hold that title.
“Oh yeah, I love it. I love it,” Daniels tells RG’s Grant Afseth. “I know he wants to do it. We want him to come play for us. There’s a lot of stuff that has to get cleared for him to come play, but we welcome him with open arms. He’s a brother. He’s an Australian.”
Will Kyrie Irving Play For The Boomers In 2028?
Daniels won’t be making the final decision about whether Irving will play for the Australian men’s national team. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board will have the last word. However, there doesn’t appear to be a reason why they would deny Irving’s request, if he officially makes one.
The Olympic Charter’s Rule 41 states that any competitor in the Olympic Games must be a national of the country represented by the National Olympic Committee (NOC). Australia doesn’t grant citizenship just because a person was born there, thanks to the Australian Citizenship Bill 2007. Thus, Irving being born in Melbourne doesn’t automatically make him a national of the country.
Yet, in 2010, USA Basketball published an interview stating that Irving’s a dual citizen of Australia and the United States. In 2016, ESPN doubled-down on the notion that Irving holds dual citizenship. This suggests that Irving’s father was considered a permanent resident when they lived in Australia. Given that he was playing basketball professionally, this was likely the case.
If Irving does hold dual citizenship, all he has to do is say which country he’d like to play for. Changing nationalities does require a three-year waiting period. Nonetheless, the last time Irving played in a FIBA-sponsored tournament for Team USA was the 2016 Rio Olympics.
As far as making the team, he just has to hope that whoever the Boomers hire as their next head coach appreciates his body of work.
Boomers Roster Changes
Irving isn’t the only NBA player who wants to suit up for Australia in 2028.
Daniels and Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey, both 6-foot-8 playmakers, are all but locks for the roster. Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum and Charlotte Hornets wing Josh Green may be as well. Each of the aforementioned players were on the Boomers roster in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Conversely, Mills and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Joe Ingles are expected to retire from international competition.
However, Clippers playmaker Ben Simmons has expressed his hope that he can play for the Boomers in 2028. Notably, Simmons was expected to play for Australia in the 2024 Summer Olympics. The former No. 1 pick’s best days are now behind him. Nonetheless, given Daniels and Giddey’s skillsets, he’d be a sensible addition to the second unit.
Despite his recent ACL injury, Irving could start though. As one of the league’s most wily one-on-one scorers, he adds an element that the Australian men’s team has long been lacking. In fact, following the Paris Olympics, former Boomer head coach Brian Goorjian said: “We have four or five that defend, can pick up the floor, are long… We don’t have a guy who can create shots and can get shots up under pressure and score in a halfcourt setting.”
Irving, whose career scoring average (23.7 points per game) ranks 30th all-time in the NBA, sounds like just the guy for the job.
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