Timberwolves forward becomes Chinese citizen

The Timberwolves forward's grandmother is the daughter of a Jamaican woman and a Chinese man, making him eligible for China's national basketball team. Per FIBA rules, each team can have one naturalized citizen such as Anderson, and he's expected to join China's team before its first FIBA World Cup game.

Anderson knew he was 1/8 Chinese for years, but after some diligent research by his mother Suzanne, they located his family members. She and Anderson visited China in 2018 where they met roughly 30 of his relatives and he received a Chinese name: Li Kaier. 

Anderson also received a new nickname there. While "Slow Mo" is translated to Chinese as "the essence of human wriggling," Chinese basketball fans have dubbed him "Li Dachui." That means "a big hammer" that moves slowly, but is effective with every strike.

The Chinese team hope he's effective when the Cup starts in the Philippines, where he'll face FIBA's No. 6 team, Serbia, along with Puerto Rico and South Sudan. No. 27 China has some extra motivation, as the top-finishing Asian team at the World Cup will directly qualify for the 2024 Olympics.

They already had a good shot at getting out of their group. China's chances are even better now that they have a Big Hammer.