Jaxson Hayes and Luka Doncic could be the new duo on the international stage after the Los Angeles Lakers center shared some good news. Hayes wants to play in international tournaments with a national team. With the talent that USA Basketball has, the former Texas center has a slim chance of being part of Team USA.
Players that USA Basketball feels should be on the national team are invited. The squad is often made up of top players, and few NBA role players are allowed to participate. Players can still play for other national teams, however, to fulfill their dreams of competing internationally.
Jaxson Hayes Confirms Receiving His Slovenian Passport
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After the team practice on Monday, Hayes confirmed with reporters that he received his Slovenian passport. This makes him eligible to play for the Slovenian men's national basketball team, together with Doncic.
“We got my Slovenian passport,” Hayes said. “It really came through. Luka’s been calling me ‘my Slovenian brother.’ He says it all the time.”
Hayes, Doncic and their agent, Bill Duffy, have been pursuing a Slovenian passport for the Lakers big man since October 2025. According to the backup center, part of the reason why he wanted to play for a different country was because of the "invite-only" process of USA Basketball.
"USA doesn't do open tryouts," Hayes said in October. "And I feel like there are guys they invite to the USA [training camp] that shouldn't be there. So, I wanted to just play on that stage ... I'm going to do whatever it takes to play on that stage."
Slovenia allows one naturalized player in its roster, and Hayes could fill that role. The European team could have the Ohio native as their starting center in the 2028 LA Olympics. Additionally, he's already developed a great on-court chemistry with Doncic.
The only problem for Hayes now is how he will communicate with the other players on the roster. He admitted that he doesn't know a single Slovenian word that would help him build chemistry. The ones that he learned from Doncic are all curse words.
Back in October, head coach JJ Redick spoke about his support for Hayes securing a spot in the Slovenian roster.
"The international game is very different. And I think for him, if it ends up happening, getting that connection and chemistry with Luka would be awesome."
It hasn't been confirmed if Hayes will be part of the national team in the future. However, receiving his Slovenian passport is one step closer to it.
