In the extensive list of stories that could have come out about the Lakers during the postseason, Jaxson Hayes becoming Slovenian could not have possibly landed on anyone’s radar.
And yet, on Monday, Hayes confirmed that he had secured his Slovenian passport, making good on a story that popped up earlier in the season.
Now, despite not being from Slovenia or having ever lived there, not speaking the language beyond a couple of colorful words and his only connection to this country being playing with
Luka Dončić, Hayes is ready for international basketball duties.
This move might seem odd from the outside looking in, but it’s not that ridiculous once you see the whole picture.
Luka loves playing with Slovenia, and he clearly has a good relationship with Hayes. He said he has “great chemistry” with Hayes after a game against the Bucks back in January. Their bond has grown over the past two seasons in Los Angeles. They not only play together with the Lakers, but share the same agent, Bill Duffy.
Hayes joining Slovenia also makes sense since they often have a naturalized player in their frontcourt.
Josh Nebo, a big man from Houston, Texas, was granted a Slovenian passport in 2024. He played with Slovenia during Olympic qualification matches the same year. Mike Tobey from Monroe, New York, obtained his Slovenian passport back in 2021 in preparation for the 2020 Olympic Qualifying games, which were delayed due to COVID.
Tobey no longer plays for Slovenia, and Nebo missed EuroBasket last summer due to injury, leaving the naturalized-citizen spot vacant.
With Hayes now filling that role, he and Luka will likely compete together in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Realistically, that was likely one of the main motivating factors for Hayes to go through this process.
Slovenia is not yet qualified for the Olympics, though. That process will come through the FIBA World Cup, where Slovenia will have a pair of games this summer against Estonia on July 3 and Sweden on July 6.
Currently, Slovenia is at the top of Group H with seven points and needs to remain in the top three to advance to the next round.
So, Lakers fans have one more reason to root for Slovenia this summer and potentially at the 2028 Olympics as Dončić and Hayes take their two-man game international.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
