Report: Klay will join Team Bahamas for training camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
With NBA free agency on the horizon, Klay Thompson is gearing up for a possible Olympic run.
Thompson will head to Houston this week for training camp with the Bahamian national team, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported Monday, citing sources. Thompson’s father Mychal was born in the Bahamas and the younger Thompson had previously said he would like to represent the country on the international stage.
Thompson won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, but he was not selected to represent the United States at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
Given the hurdles Thompson would have to overcome to represent the Bahamas, it is unlikely he will be cleared in time for the Olympic qualifying tournament on July 2.
He would need an official release from USA Basketball as well as approval from FIBA ​​to switch nationalities, in addition to having Bahamian citizenship. Although the Bahamas has Jus sanguinis citizenship, it is unclear whether Thompson has completed all the necessary steps to obtain a national passport.
With NBA Free Agency just weeks away, the longtime Warriors guard is reportedly weighing all available options. It is still uncertain at this point whether Golden State and Thompson can reach an agreement on a new contract, although the Warriors have stated their intention to keep the core of Thompson, Draymond Green and Steph Curry together.
The Olympic selections should be made well before the start of the Paris Games on July 26, so it would be a tall order for Thompson to compete in the gold and aquamarine of the Bahamas, even if the team were to qualify.
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