Kendrick Nunn applied for Turkish citizenship. He would replace Tarik Biberovic on the national team as a naturalized player, but the Turkish Federation will start a motion with FIBA to recognize Biberovic as a local.
After a successful debut in the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Kendrick Nunn might make his international debut soon.
According to Basketfaul, the PAO star guard has submitted an application to become a citizen of Turkiye.
If the claim materializes, Nunn will be able to play for Turkiye in international FIBA tournaments. As such, he would replace Tarik Biberovic as a naturalized player on the current roster.
Nunn was coached in PAO by Ergin Ataman, who also leads the Turkish national team. Ataman, however, denied the report, claiming that the national team has multiple options for the position of a naturalized player.
Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Biberovic changed his FIBA affiliation in 2018 and has been treated as a naturalized player internationally despite considering himself Turkish. Turkish Basketball Federation's (TBF) president, Hidayet Turkoglu, will start a motion with FIBA to recognize the Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward as a local.
"We'll have initiatives for Tarik Biberovic. We need to explain the process correctly. FIBA has some measures, but we need to explain this better because Tarik's brother Faruk does not play as a naturalized one," Turkoglu said on Tuesday following the Turkish League (BSL) draw ceremony. "If we achieve this, we will have a very different generation."
Nunn averaged 16 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3 assists for 11.7 PIR per game in the EuroLeague last season and was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team.
Shane Larkin and Scottie Wilbekin also have Turkish citizenships, but they haven't been included on the rosters since the summer of 2023, when the two players and TBF clashed due to their refusal to come to the national team due to injuries.
