NBA Utah Jazz player Kyle Anderson (Li Kaier), the first naturalized player in the history of China’s men’s national basketball team Photo: Screenshot from website
Several Chinese media outlets have noted that Utah Jazz player Kyle Anderson (Li Kaier), the first naturalized player in the history of China’s men’s basketball, has reverted to U.S. citizenship, citing the latest information available on the NBA’s official website.
Born on September 20, 1993, in New York, US, Anderson has one-eighth Chinese ancestry, with his great-grandfather being a Hakka from South China’s Guangdong Province, according to The Paper.
On July 24, 2023, Anderson obtained Chinese citizenship, becoming the first naturalized player in Chinese basketball to represent China’s men’s national basketball team, according to Xinhua News Agency.
He later played four warm-up games and appeared in five games at the FIBA Basketball World Cup proper but ultimately was unable to help the team qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Anderson represented China at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, averaging 13.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, as China finished with a 1-4 record.
So far this season, Anderson has appeared in nine games for the Jazz. In 17.9 minutes per game, he is averaging 6.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals, while shooting 49 percent from the field.