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Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be representing the Dominican Republic at the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup next month. Towns, who has not played for the Dominican Republic since 2013, is open to the possibility of joining the team in the Philippines for the tournament.
In a recent interview on the Diamante Deportivo radio show, Dominican Republic Basketball Federation president Rafael Uribe shared Towns' intentions to play for the national team. Uribe is confident that the Timberwolves All-Star would be in the Philippines for the group stage.
"There's a mutual interest, and we exchange messages on the phone every day," Uribe said.
Karl-Anthony Towns has not played for the Dominican Republic since 2013 at the AmeriCup. He made his debut for his mother's home country in 2012 when he was only 16, helping them win the 2012 Centrobasket Tournament in Puerto Rico.
In an appearance on The Ringer back in March, Towns opened up about the possibility of playing for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He told teammate Austin Rivers that he's excited to play this summer and trying his best to work out a plan to make it happen.
"This summer, I want to go and play with the Dominican team," Towns said. "That would be cool. That would be fire. I'm trying to work that out right now."
Towns is eligible to play for the Dominican Republic through his late mother, Jacqueline Cruz. Despite growing up in New Jersey and having an American father, Towns decided to play for the Dominican Republic where his mother was born and raised.
Are there other Dominican players in the NBA besides Karl-Anthony Towns?
Apart from Karl-Anthony Towns, there are several other Dominican players in the NBA. Al Horford of the Boston Celtics is quite possibly the most famous NBA player from the Dominican Republic.
Chris Duarte of the Sacramento Kings was also born and raised in the Dominican Republic, while Lester Quinones and Justin Manaya are also eligible to represent the country.
Rafael Uribe, the president of the Dominican Republic Basketball Federation, told on the Diamante Deportivo radio show that Duarte, Quinones and Manaya will play in the national team's tune-up game against the University of Memphis on Aug. 2.
The Dominican Republic is in Group A at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. They play against Angola, Italy and the Philippines at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines.
