Former German NT HC Dettmann slams Spain for naturalization: 'A shame' / News - Basketnews.com

Henrik Dettmann resents the Spanish team's decision to naturalize Lorenzo Brown, calling it a shame that they must resort to naturalization to beat teams like Finland. He called naturalization a political move that governments use to seek global recognition.

Credit: Fotodiena.lt/M.Baranauskas Credit Fotodiena.lt/M.Baranauskas

Henrik Dettmann used to coach both the German and Finnish national teams. He won bronze at the 2002 FIBA World Cup. Having retired from active coaching, he offered some spicy comments about the current state of basketball.

Recently, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson was naturalized to represent the Chinese national team in the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Even though the rules in China are stricter than in most other countries, the player fits the bill to be a Chinese citizen. His maternal grandmother was born to a Chinese father and Jamaican mother, making Anderson one-eight Chinese.

Evaluating the Chinese Basketball Federation's decision, Dettmann said it was a political move.

"Anderson's case is very obscure in the current world political situation. It hasn't been decided at a very low official level in China," he said in an interview with the Helsingin Sanomat.

"A positive image is sought through sports, and governments finance it," said Dettmann, who now works as the head of coaching at the Finnish national team.

When Dettman was the head coach of the German national team, one of the tallest players in NBA history - Shawn Bradley - received German citizenship and helped the team in the EuroBasket 2001.

The basketball operative says he was against any naturalization move despite his words back then.

"I resisted even then, and it left eternal scars between me and the management of the German national team," the former coach commented on the naturalization of players at the turn of the millennium.

Dettmann noted a case in 2011 when point guard Omar Cook joined the Montenegrin national team.

"When Cook was asked what he likes about Montenegro, he replied that he has never been to the country," Dettmann said. "It is unlikely that he was compensated in Montenegrin currency."

Last year, Spain recruited Lorenzo Brown after Ricky Rubio couldn't help the team in EuroBasket 2022 due to injury. The move sparked outrage in the basketball community as Spain is already viewed as a dominant squad.

Dettmann shared the opinion, noting that Brown's arrival was a big blemish on the otherwise proud history of Spanish basketball.

"I always resent this for all Spaniards. It's a shame if you have to resort to such a trick to be able to beat Finland," the former coach said.

In 2015, American-born Jamar Wilson received Finnish citizenship. However, he had lived in Finland for multiple years before and had to pass a language test to get a foreign passport.

"Finnish citizenship and representing the national team were big things for Wilson in terms of his own identity. Before the first national team presentation, Jammu recited the words of our country's song in the dressing room," Dettmann remembered.

In this year's list of candidates for the Finnish team, another American-born player - Jacob Grandison - is on the roster. His mother is Finnish, and he visited the country multiple times during his childhood.

Even though Grandison doesn't speak Finnish, the practices are already conducted in English due to the presence of Utah Jazz assistant coach Sean Sheldon.

"Naturally, only a few of us do not speak Finnish, but at the end of the day, basketball is the language that unites us all. Sometimes I feel like I'm a visitor here because others have their own lives in Finland," the player said in an interview with Janne Palomaki from Iltalehti.

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