Can Dwight Howard actually play for the Philippines though?
USA Basketball announced a star-studded 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Headlining the pool are NBA superstars and national team veterans in LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant.
READ MORE: USA Basketball announces 2024 men’s national team player pool
The United States will be aiming to defend their gold medal won at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
One player couldn't help but react to the roster, 2020 NBA champion Dwight Howard.
"Guess I’m playing for the Philippines," he posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
He probably heard stories from Strong Group Athletics teammate Andray Blatche, who used to played for the Philippines in FIBA competitions.
Kabahan ka na, Jordan Clarkson!
But can Dwight Howard actually suit up for the Philippines?
He already wore the jersey of Team USA during the 2006 FIBA World Championship and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics--where they won the gold.
FIBA regulations state that a player who has played or a national team in a main official FIBA competition after reaching his 17th birthday may not apply for a national team of another country.
The Secretary General may authorize exceptions depending on the impact in the development of basketball, the ranking of the territories involved, the potential effect of the change in the competitive balance, and the circumstances of the player's participation with the previous national team.
Not to mention that the Philippines would still have to go through the eye of a needle--Latvia and Georgia, among others--to secure a Paris ticket.
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Howard can probably suit up for non-FIBA competitions, where rules are less stringent. In the Asian Games for example, only a passport is required for eligibility to represent a country.
And the naturalization process for a player is a lengthy one, since it would have to go through Congress.
The Philippines has a number of naturalized players to tap from. Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson who played in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame competed in the 19th Asian Games to help regain basketball gold. But Justin Noypi is currently dealing with a doping violation, testing positive for carboxy-THC, which is linked to cannabis.
RELATED: SBP hopes for resolution in Justin Brownlee's doping case
Though Howard seems to be having plenty of fun right now, as he wears the Strong Group Athletics jersey, stitched with the Philippine flag.
They're undefeated in the Dubai International Basketball Championship so far and they're through to the quarterfinals.
"Winning again… Smiling again 😁🙌🏾 5-0," he posted.