Larkin and Wilbekin lose domestic player status in Turkish League / News - Basketnews.com

Due to being penalized by the Turkish Federation for not competing in the national team's games, Larkin and Wilbekin lost their domestic player status in the Turkish League, the official competition rules state.

Credit: EuroLeague Basketball; IMAGO/Seskim Photo - Scanpix Credit EuroLeague Basketball; IMAGO/Seskim Photo - Scanpix

Shane Larkin and Scottie Wilbekin withdrew from the Turkish national team this summer. Both players have already been suspended and fined. Now, another hit has come their way.

Shane Larkin

Position:PGAge:30Height:182 cmWeight:80 kgBirth place:Cincinati, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Turkey lost to Croatia in the final of the Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul and lost all chances to go to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The country's basketball federation (TBF) has since turned on the two naturalized foreigners.

First, the players were given a five-game suspension in the Turkish League (BSL) and a 90,000 Turkish Lira fine (~3140€). In addition, they will lose their domestic player status in the competition.

Basketfaul were first to announce the news.

According to the TBF's Basketball Competition Rules, recruited (i.e., naturalized) players lose their domestic player status if they are penalized by the Disciplinary Committee for not playing in national team games.

As such, Larkin and Wilbekin will lose their Turkish passport privileges and will be considered foreigners in the BSL. The two players have the right to appeal this decision, but there is not much hope for the decision to be overturned, Basketfaul note.

Larkin has recently pushed back against the punishment, claiming that he had the right to make the decision due to his health status and feels like he's being thrown under the bus.

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