Minnesota Timberwolves sixth man Kyle Anderson will play for China in the Basketball World Cup starting next month.
New York-born Anderson and the Chinese Basketball Association announced the 29-year-old forward's addition to the roster.
World governing body Fiba allows teams to have one naturalized player on their roster. Chinese media reported Anderson's maternal grandmother was born in Jamaica to a Chinese father and Jamaican mother.
"Hello, fans in China, this is Li Kai'er. I'm so happy to announce I will be representing China in the World Cup," Anderson said, using his Chinese name, in a video on his Weibo account.
"Really proud and honored to wear the Team China jersey."
The citizenship could also enable the nine-year NBA veteran to represent China at the Olympic Games in Paris next year.
Anderson averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in his first season with the Timberwolves after joining from the Memphis Grizzlies last year.
He was a first-round NBA draft pick of the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 after playing two seasons at UCLA.
China, ranked 27th in the world, begin World Cup group play with a game against Serbia in the Philippines on August 26.
Beijing has made overtures in recent years to foreign athletes with connections to the country through ancestry or long-term residence.
They include US-born freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who cemented her celebrity status with a string of victories at last year's Winter Olympics in Beijing.
British-born former Arsenal footballer Nico Yennaris has also competed for the Chinese national team after obtaining citizenship.
Kyle Anderson will play for China at the World Cup starting August 25 in the Philippines. REUTERS
