"You can barely stay on the Lakers" - NBA fans stirred as Jaxson Hayes seeks Slovenian passport in hopes of pairing with Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic and Jaxson Hayes have been teammates in the LA Lakers for just half a season. Still, Hayes has expressed his willingness to have Doncic as a teammate even for the Slovenian national team.

According to Hayes, he is looking to obtain a Slovenian passport with the hopes of teaming up with Doncic in the country's national basketball team during international games.

"We have the same agent. My parents kind of working on it right now. They came to me with the idea," Hayes said. "I wanted to play on the (international) stage so I will do whatever it takes to make that happen."

Per FIBA rules, every national squad can field one naturalized player in tournaments, including the World Cup and the Olympics. Hayes would need to go through a naturalization process in Slovenia to make himself available for the national team.

Meanwhile, Lakers fans roasted him on X after he declared his intention to play for Slovenia alongside Doncic.

Crinkle 🍟

@LACrinkle

@mcten I’m so sure the USA Team would want “Jaxson Hayes.” Brother, you can barely stay on the Lakers.

Frank Gioe

@GioeFrank77553

@mcten Luka praying rn he don’t get that passport

CloakedDisguise

@prism_mr

@mcten Jaxson Hayes the typa guy to go to the front office and request a trade and be ignored

Meanwhile, other fans called him out for doing his best to cling on to a roster spot with the Lakers.

Darren Jaggers

@DarrenJaggers

@mcten Thats one way to try and get job security

Crinkle 🍟

@LACrinkle

@mcten Hilarious that this dude is just shamelessly dickriding Luka to try to hang onto a roster spot

Dan Carlson

@DTC031

@mcten As if that would make a difference for him 😂

As the Lakers' backup center last season, Hayes averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. However, he saw limited minutes in last season's playoffs as the team went on a small-ball lineup against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, where they lost in five games.

Meanwhile, Doncic has been leading Slovenia since his teenage years. In his most recent FIBA tournament, the Doncic-led Slovenia fell in the EuroBasket quarterfinals against the eventual champions Germany. Doncic led the tournament in scoring with averages of 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.

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Hayes' aspirations get support from Lakers head coach JJ Redick

Jaxson Hayes' aspirations of being part of the Slovenian national team got the support of Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

According to Redick, he hopes to see Hayes develop a stronger chemistry with Doncic in the Slovenian squad, if his naturalization happens.

"I looked at my USA Basketball experiences and I had a bunch of them," he said. "They were all invaluable to me because you're learning around great players.

"And then, you're also learning a different way to play, in some ways. The international game is very different. And I think for him, if it ends up happening, getting that connection and chemistry with Luka would be awesome."

While he awaits his naturalization, Hayes is expected to play a key role for the Lakers in the upcoming season. They will tip off their regular season campaign against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21.