Natural players are not uncommon in basketball, but there are limitations. Nick Weiler-Babb strengthens Germany, he is not the only ex-Ludwigsburger.
Paolo Rink or Sean Dundee – do not have something? Perhaps some football fans may remember these names as they became German internationals as a result of the Brazilian-South African who obtained German citizenship. Although the sports career at that time rather in the sand. That may look different to a certain Nick Weiler-Babb. He plays basketball and is currently very successful in European competitions. The Lao-American was naturalized on time and is playing his seventh international match against Slovenia on Tuesday (8.30pm). The German association has campaigned for the former professional of Ludwigsburg giants MHP, just like his current club FC Bayern Munich, which has benefited from this in the league as the 26-year-old is no longer part of the international quota.
There is no oversupply
The intention arises from sports reasons because there is no shortage in the position of strong defensive players and Weiler-Babb has proven in the league that he is a complement. That’s how national team coach Gordon Herbert sees it: “Nick has been enthusiastic about the prospect of playing for Germany from the start. He’s a great guy to fit into the national team.”
There is no doubt about it. In the three years that he played in the BBL, he always distinguished himself as an unattainable athlete: “The long-term prospects with the European championship in Germany, hopefully with the World Cup, the Olympic Games, that attracted me a lot.”, said Weiler-Babb, who coincidentally has German roots thanks to his grandmother. But that is more emotional, because international law does not require family ties. According to this, the team may use one player per match who only gets natural after his 16th birthday. Recently, DBB strengthened in 2008 with Chris Kaman Native American. Wolfgang Brenscheidt, Secretary General of the German Basketball Federation, once spoke to Deutschlandfunk about the “foreign question”: “We can live well with the rules of Fiba, because only one player is allowed to play.” In contrast to handball, where Qatar. For example, the person responsible for the World Cup 2015 – according to the applicable law – invests a lot to buy sports achievements with players from all over Europe, which then also succeeds with silver medals.
Not alone
The Germans are not alone in basketball – quite the opposite. And it seems almost a little strange that former Ludwigsburg players are always involved. Like Jonah Radebaugh, who left the club for Spain after a strong season in the summer, only to take Montenegrin citizenship a short time later and still play for the Balkan country. In the World Cup qualifier against France, he scored an instant winner with three points. However, he is not currently in the European competition. Instead, the person in charge of the association is based on another US expert, Kendrick Perry. Background: A country may have many natural players, but nominate only one in a major tournament. Radebaugh, who is known as Dzona Radebau in his new country, may cancel playing for Valencia in the future, in the Euroleague. Not attached to the official schedule of the Fiba world association, so players will be absent for further international matches in the important World Cup qualifiers.
It can beat Smith too
That may affect Jaleen Smith, MVP of Ludwigsburg 2021, who has played for Alba Berlin since last season – and now for Croatia. The players have no family ties there, just business managers with good networks in the Balkans. In any case, his “combination strategy” was well received, and Smith returned the trust. At the beginning of the European championship with Greece, he contributed 23 points as the best Croatian, but could not prevent a narrow defeat 85: 89.
But not all experts are willing to change. See Yusuf Nurkic. The NBA professional from Germany’s Bosnia-Herzegovina national team is reported to want to play for Croatia in the future. This is only half the truth. He should be granted citizenship in recognition of his charity work in Zagreb and Zadar, where he played basketball before his NBA career. But Nurkic stressed: “Bosnian supporters have no reason to worry.” He will continue to play for his home country officially. The change also provides another advantage. This makes the 28-year-old an EU citizen and allows him greater freedom of unrestricted travel. Listen seriously, not politically.
