NBA Draft Pick L.J. Jones Expresses Desire to Play for Israel National Team
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
L.J. Jones, a 22-year-old guard/forward drafted by the Golden State Warriors, is making a significant impact in Italy's top basketball league for Trieste. Jones, who has Israeli heritage and could obtain citizenship, expressed his desire to play for the Israeli national team. He recently achieved a career-best performance with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals, leading his team to victory and setting league records.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- L.J. Jones, drafted by the Golden State Warriors, is playing in Italy and wants to represent Israel's national team.
- Jones, whose mother is Israeli, has expressed interest in obtaining Israeli citizenship.
- He recently led his team, Trieste, to its first win with a career-high 21 points and 13 rebounds.
- Jones set Italian league records with his performance, becoming the youngest to achieve 20+ points, 13+ rebounds, and 6 three-pointers.
- He is averaging 16.5 points and 8.8 rebounds in his first four games in Italy.
L.J. Jones, a 22-year-old American-Israeli guard/forward recently selected by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA draft, is making a strong impression in his first season playing professionally in Italy for Trieste. Jones, whose mother Nava is Israeli and has family in Israel, has expressed a desire to represent the Israeli national basketball team in the future. He holds the Israeli name "Ari Jones" and proudly displays his Jewish identity online, including the Israeli flag and Star of David.
Jones, who has visited Israel previously, stated in an interview that he could easily obtain Israeli citizenship. He told Sport 5 that while he identifies as American, his Israeli heritage is important, and he observes Jewish traditions, having had a bar mitzvah and celebrating Jewish holidays. He aims to win a gold medal for Israel, while also expressing interest in potentially playing for the U.S. national team.
In his recent games for Trieste, Jones has emerged as a key player. In his fourth appearance on Sunday, he led the team to its first win of the season with an outstanding performance of 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals, shooting 6/12 from three-point range. Over his first four professional games in the Italian league, Jones is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks per game, shooting 36.7% from three-point range.
His recent record-breaking performance, which included at least 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 three-pointers, made him the youngest player in Italian league history to achieve such a stat line, and the first to do so in 17 years. Sports media outlet "Sportando" highlighted his "record-breaking performance" as the star of Trieste's first victory.
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