Suns’ Deandre Ayton ideal USA fit in 2024 Olympics – if he became U.S. citizen and FIBA makes exception?

Suns fans celebrate at the airport with Deandre Ayton, Monty Williams and the team as they return from Denver after advancing to the Western Conference Finals. Arizona Republic

Back in 1996, Hakeem Olajuwon played for USA’s Dream Team II in the Summer Olympics in Atlanta as part of his Nigerian national team.

Two things happened.

One, Olajuwon became a U.S. citizen in 1993.

Two, despite a rule forbidding playing for one country and then another, FIBA made an exception for Olajuwon to play for USA.

Deandre Ayton is from the Bahamas, has played for his national team, but if the Phoenix Suns center chose to become an U.S. citizen and FIBA made another exception like it did for Olajuwon, he’d be ideal to play for USA in, say, the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) battles LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) for a rebound during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in Phoenix June 20, 2021.

 (Photo: Michael Chow/The Republic)

Sources informed The Republic the Suns big man is someone who would be on USA Basketball’s radar for future Summer Olympics. 

There is also an FIBA rule that reads, “a national team participating in a Competition of FIBA may have only one player on its team who has acquired the legal nationality of that country by naturalization or by any other means after having reached the age of sixteen (16).”

The Suns already have one player heading to Tokyo for the 2021 Summer Olympics in Devin Booker, who confirmed Saturday his commitment to Team USA .

Sources informed The Republic that Chris Paul won’t play for USA in Tokyo after The Athletic reported the two-time Olympic gold medal winner planned to commit.

ESPN later reported Paul has declined an invitation.

Now Ayton might never choose to become a U.S. citizen, thus ending any chance of playing for USA, but with the way he’s improved as a player, his game is perfect for international play.  

He runs the floor, defends and with FIBA rules allowing players to tap the ball off the rim or tap it in once the ball hits the rim, Ayton would be a force on the defensive and offensive glass.

Ayton has been strong in his first postseason run.

The top overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Arizona is averaging 15.6 points on an insane 71.6% shooting and 10.5 rebounds through 11 playoff games.

 Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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