"Big Hammer" is the first domestic battle today!, Abandoning American citizenship as a Chinese representative | Chinese men's basketball team | First game
Tonight, the Chinese men's basketball team will face Serbia. This game is the last warm-up match before the 2023 International Solidarity Cup and the Chinese Men's Basketball World Cup, as well as the domestic debut of Chinese naturalized basketball player Li Kaier.
Previously, in the Italian Trentino Cup final on August 5th, Li Kaier made his debut for the Chinese men's basketball national team as a substitute, playing for 19 minutes and 31 seconds, scoring 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block.
Li Kaier entered the American Professional Basketball League through a draft in 2014 and played for the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves.
On July 24, 2023, he obtained Chinese nationality. On the same day, FIBA International Basketball Federation announced that Li Kaier will represent the Chinese men's basketball team in the 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup.
"Rooted in China"
Li Kaier's great grandfather, Li Chongxin, is a pure Hakka from Guangdong Province, with ancestral roots in Xinmuxin Village, Bao'an County, Guangdong Province.
In the 1920s, Li Chongxin and his younger brother went to Jamaica to develop their careers, and they met and got married to later Lee Kyle's great grandmother, Agita Lee. They stayed in Jamaica and gave birth to Lee Kyle's grandmother Miriam.
Miriam later immigrated to the United States, but her daughter Susanna, also known as Lee Kyle's mother, never forgot her Chinese ancestry and hoped to find relatives in China.
According to a relative of Li Kaier, a businessman doing business in China at that time, holding a photo of Li Chongxin, inquired about the area of Xinmuxin Village.
This relative asked other family members if they had seen this photo, and they all said they did. That's when they mentioned Li Chongxin's trip to Jamaica, confirming that Li Kaier is their relative.
Afterwards, the businessman immediately contacted Li Kaier's mother. In 2018, Li Kaier and his mother Susanna came to Xinmuxin Village, Pinghu Street, Longgang District, Shenzhen to recognize their relatives and meet with the relatives of the Li clan.
Everyone raised pre customized banners and wrote in both Chinese and English, "Chinese relatives warmly welcome Kyle, Susanna, and Kristel back home!"
Li Kaier experienced Hakka customs, worshipped his ancestors with family and friends, showcased his basketball skills to his nephews and grandchildren who also love basketball, and signed their jerseys.
This made Lee Kyle, who had been worried, relax: "I don't know whether they will accept us. I was worried. I hope they can welcome us. They did the same thing. I left a lot of good memories. I had dinner and chat with my family, made rice dumpling, and they lit firecrackers to welcome us. This is a great experience in my life."
That day, Li Kaier and his mother were included in the Li family genealogy, and the Li family presented Li Kaier with the Li family genealogy.
·Li Kaier was written into the family tree.
Li Kaier later recalled, "Being able to pay tribute to my family, my roots, the past, and traditions is of great significance to me, and I also want to continue to carry forward these traditions."
Join the Chinese men's basketball team
Due to the distance and language barrier, Likel could only pay close attention to the situation of his relatives from afar.
Around March 2022, he learned that the Returned Overseas Chinese Federation in Pinghu Street, Longgang District was planning to build a concentric circle exhibition hall for overseas Chinese, telling the story of Pinghu overseas Chinese.
He was very concerned about this matter and immediately sent his jersey, shoes, signed photos, and a family tree. Nowadays, these items are displayed in the concentric circle exhibition hall.
As early as September 2022, some media reported that the Chinese Basketball Association had the idea of searching for naturalized players.
After being re elected as the President of the Chinese Basketball Association, Yao Ming responded positively to the issue of naturalized players for the first time. He stated that the Chinese Basketball Association holds an open attitude towards naturalization.
"The candidate must first comply with the rules of the FIBA, as well as Chinese laws and policies, and whether it can bring improvement to the Chinese men's basketball team, not only in terms of technical and tactical skills, but also in terms of cultural integration."
Not only that, he also jokingly said, "Welcome everyone to recommend."
Afterwards, many people focused their attention on Lee Kyle, who played for the NBA Timberwolves at the time. He not only has one eighth of Chinese ancestry, but also strongly identifies with Chinese culture. Will he become one of the members of the Chinese men's basketball team?
At that time, rumors about Li Kaier's naturalization were rampant.
Li Kaier, who is preparing for the NBA playoffs playoffs with the team, said, "This matter requires communication with my family and agent. Currently, my focus is on the game at hand. Once the season ends, I will have further discussions with my family before making a decision."
Until July 24th this year, the Chinese Basketball Association officially announced that Li Kaier had obtained Chinese nationality and had met with the chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, Yao Ming.
This not only indicates that Li Kaier has obtained the qualification to represent the Chinese men's basketball team, but also represents that he has become the first naturalized player in the history of the Chinese men's basketball team.
Li Kaier has publicly stated that it is precisely because of such intricate connections that he was very proactive in joining the Chinese men's basketball team, and his mother also strongly supports this.
Previously, Li Kaier changed his Weibo nickname from "Kyle Anderson" to "Big Hammer Li Kaier Anderson". On July 28th, he removed the English part and officially changed his name to "Li Kaier".
Afterwards, he posted four training photos of the men's basketball team in Europe on Weibo, with the caption: The first day of the training. Thank you to everyone for making my dreams come true!
·Screenshot of Li Kaier's Weibo account.
During an interview, Li Tianping, Li Kaier's cousin, said, "Kyle's ability to become a Chinese national and represent the Chinese men's basketball team in the World Cup is not only a personal event for him, but also a honor for our entire family. I hope he will do his best for the country and bring glory to it."
"Essence of Human Peristalsis"
Li Kaier was born into a sports family in New York, USA. His father is an amateur basketball coach, his mother Susanna has practiced athletics, and his two brothers are engaged in basketball and rugby respectively.
At the age of 3, Li Kaier's father served as a coach for an amateur sports league team. Affected, Li Kaier joined his first basketball training camp and embarked on a basketball journey.
He graduated from San Antonio High School in New Jersey from high school and led the team to win consecutive New Jersey championships. In his final year of high school, he was elected as the State Player of the Year.
In 2012, Li Kaier entered the University of California, Los Angeles and represented the school in college basketball competitions.
In April 2014, Lee Kyle announced his participation in the NBA draft and was selected in the 30th overall pick of the first round.
Afterwards, he played for three teams: the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves.
In his nine seasons in the NBA, Lee Kyle's highest single game score is 28 points, earning a total of four triple doubles.
Last season, Lee Kyle averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Minnesota Timberwolves, making him a versatile rhythm oriented swing back.
Li Kaier is affectionately referred to as the "hammer" by Chinese fans - he plays like a sledgehammer, and because of his appearance, he bears a striking resemblance to the protagonist of the web drama "Never Expected", Wang Dahui.
In addition, Lykal has a well-known nickname: the essence of human peristalsis.
Li Kaier has a unique game rhythm on the field. He may seem slow, but he has an excellent sense of rhythm, making it difficult for opponents to steal the ball from his hands and complete the blocking.
As a forward player, he has strong ability to hold the ball and organize attacks, with a high shooting percentage from the outside.
Li Kaier once said, "I won't turn the game into my own performance. Basketball is a team sport, and my game is more about driving everyone together. I will bring the experience, skills, and team spirit I have, and whether on the field or off, I will twist everyone together."
Nowadays, when he comes to the Chinese men's basketball team, Li Kaier is undoubtedly highly anticipated - the front line is now a relatively weak position in the Chinese men's basketball team, and his arrival will fill the gap in this position. At the same time, he possesses excellent ball control skills and field vision, capable of handling multiple positions.
On August 23rd, the Chinese men's basketball team will set off for the World Cup. Previously, Li Kaier stated on social media that he was considering changing his jersey number.
He said, "At many important moments in my basketball career, I wore the number one jersey to face challenges, which brought me infinite strength and motivation... My Chinese relatives told me that number one is a very special number in China, with many excellent meanings, such as sailing smoothly, sailing smoothly, always striving for first place, unity, and continuity... Do you support me in choosing number one?"
·Screenshot of Li Kaier's Weibo account.
On August 20th, Li Kaier posted a photo of himself wearing the number 1 jersey on social media. Without a doubt, his arrival has injected fresh blood into the Chinese men's basketball team. Chinese fans are eagerly anticipating his future performance.
