Three National Basketball Association stars, including Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, have been included in the Dominican Republic’s 30-man pool for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
In a list released by the Dominican Republic Basketball Federation on Thursday (Manila time), Al Horford of the Boston Celtics, Chris Duarte of the Sacramento Kings and Towns were included, giving them a good chance of seeing action in the prestigious 32-nation showpiece set in Manila from 25 August to 10 September.
The inclusion of the NBA standouts will be a big boost to the Dominicans when they face Gilas Pilipinas, Italy and Angola in the preliminaries of the World Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 7-foot-1 Towns, for instance, is a three-time NBA All-Star who won the Rookie of the Year honors in 2016. Despite being born to an African-American father, he decided to play for the Dominican Republic in honor of his late mother, Jacqueline Cruz.
Horford, on the other hand, is a pure Dominican who was born in Puerto Plata before moving to Lansing, Michigan in 2000. His father, Tito Horford, was selected by the second round of the 1988 NBA Draft, making him the first Dominican player to play in the NBA.
Like Horford, Duarte was also born in the coastal city of Puerto Plata before moving to New York to play his last two years of high school basketball.
Dominican Republic cage federation president Rafael Uribe said there is a “mutual interest” between them and Towns to suit up in the World Cup.
“There’s a mutual interest (between Towns and the federation), and we exchange messages on the phone every day,” he told radio show Diamante Deportivo, adding that the chances of the NBA star seeing action for them is “90 percent.”
The last time Towns donned the Dominican jersey was during the AmeriCup in 2013. Prior to that, he helped the team win the 2012 Centrobasket Tournament in Puerto Rico.
In an appearance on The Ringer in March, Towns told teammate Austin Rivers that he is pulling all strings to work out a plan and make it happen.
“This summer, I want to go and play with the Dominican team,” Towns said. “That would be cool. That would be fire. I’m trying to work that out right now.”
Aside from Towns, Horford and Duarte, also part of the Dominican Republic’s extended roster are playmaker Andres Felix, rising star Victor Liz, and 6-foot-11 veteran Eloy Vargas.
The Dominicans will get an early test when they battle the Filipinos in the World Cup opener at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
