Overview
- Hayes, who confirmed Monday after Lakers practice that he received a Slovenian passport, is now eligible to fill Slovenia’s one allowed naturalized-player slot.
- Slovenia leads its FIBA World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers group at 3–1, with July games at Estonia and then home to Sweden that could be Hayes’s first chance to suit up if selected.
- Talks about the switch began in October through the players’ shared agent, Bill Duffy, tying Hayes’s bid for international play to Dončić’s long-standing national team role.
- The development comes during the NBA Playoffs as Dončić manages a left hamstring strain that kept him out of Tuesday’s Game 2 against the Rockets.
- Coaches and analysts say a summer together could sharpen their pick-and-roll chemistry and potentially help Hayes’s role with the Lakers, even as he learns little Slovenian so far.