Trending on social media! Kyle Fogg reverting to American nationality? Actually, it doesn’t really matter.

The NBA official site and its Chinese platform have revised Kyle Fogg’s nationality from “Chinese” to “American,” which is regarded as confirmation of his current status.

This event has gone viral online.

However, his information on FIBA still identifies him as a Chinese player.

His agency also stated that they do not rule out the possibility of Kyle Fogg continuing to compete for China or joining the CBA later on.

But why did I use the phrase “doesn’t really matter” in my headline?

The partnership likely ended after the Chinese men’s basketball team’s defeat in the 2023 World Cup.

Here are a few simple reasons why.

First, looking at the outcome, this was a failed naturalization.

The main goal of naturalizing Kyle Fogg was to help the Chinese men’s basketball team secure a spot in the Paris Olympics through the 2023 Basketball World Cup starting in August.

He played five games in the World Cup, averaging 13 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.

He scored zero points in the match against Serbia.

As mentioned many times before, he is better suited to a strong team where he can use his basketball IQ and playmaking skills as a facilitator.

But our expectation was for him to attack like Clarkson, which was unrealistic.

In fact, his offensive ability doesn’t even match that of Brownlee.

Second, the cooperation model between both parties.

Simply put, pay the money, get the job done.

For example, pay a certain amount for playing in one World Cup.

Since Kyle Fogg has one-eighth Chinese heritage and became a Shenzhen resident, there was a kind of “friendship price.”

According to unofficial sources, the fee was not exorbitant and was sponsored by a Chinese businessman.

Compared to a Guangzhou businessman spending hundreds of millions on football naturalizations, Kyle Fogg’s naturalization cost is considered relatively low.

Therefore, ending this cooperation cannot be seen as a failure or unfinished business.

If he comes to play in the CBA in the future, he will definitely be welcomed!

Third, the leadership has changed.

Yao Ming actively promoted this matter.

Now that he has stepped down, it is normal that many initiatives he pushed during his tenure will not continue.

We can only say that Yao Ming did his best.

The results were disappointing, but we should still thank Kyle Fogg.

His performance was not good, but he was friendly both on and off the court, such as his guidance to Cui Yongxi.

Regarding the future.

Will there be more naturalizations? What kind? It’s uncertain.

Especially after China’s two losses to South Korea, the situation has become even more uncertain. If China can’t even qualify for the World Cup, then naturalization is not even worth considering...

Guo Shiqiang once emphasized that naturalized players must be point guards or shooting guards.

This choice is based on the weaknesses exposed by the Chinese men’s basketball team in international competitions.

However, nationality and treatment issues make advancing this matter very difficult.

For example, we might be interested in Guangsha’s foreign player Barry Brown or Shanghai’s Lofton...

But the problem is, what kind of treatment would convince these strong foreign players to give up their American citizenship and become Chinese citizens? We must consider China’s policy of not allowing dual nationality...

Another practical issue is money.

There have been rumors that CBA clubs might lead naturalization efforts, even hoping to establish a pool of naturalized players for China’s national team to choose from.

Ignoring major policy factors, let’s just talk about money.

Some CBA teams are behind on salaries and social insurance payments; how could they afford naturalization...

If state-owned teams are willing to do this, what would be the policy for using naturalized players in the CBA?

Would it disrupt the competitive balance?

So, the issue is quite complicated...