Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes is all set to turn his franchise partnership with Luka Doncic into a national team partnership. Hayes is in the final stages of obtaining his Slovenian citizenship, as per reports via Basket News. The 25-year-old is thought to be the long-term center option for Slovenia as they gear up for the upcoming FIBA World Cup qualification window in July and August.

Born in Oklahoma in the United States of America, Hayes has been extremely critical of the selection process followed by the US Basketball team. He has shown a strong interest in pursuing the Slovenian passport that will make him eligible for international basketball.

Where is Jaxson Hayes from? What is the Lakers star’s ethnicity

Jaxson Hayes was born on May 23, 2000, in Norman, Oklahoma. Currently an American, the center is reportedly in the final stages of the paperwork to secure his Slovenian passport, which will allow him to play for the European country as a naturalized player, a decision influenced by his grandfather’s heritage.

While there’s hardly any information around his ethnicity, his family stories are full of grit and resilience.

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Both his parents were into sports, as his mother, Kristi Hayes, was a standout basketball player during her college days at Drake University. She was extremely dominant and also won the MVC Player of the Year award. But her journey also had a fair share of challenges.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 22, which crushed her dreams, but she eventually recovered and gave birth to four children with  Jonathan Hayes.

Jaxson’s father, Jonathan Hayes, is a former NFL star. He was featured in 12 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers. After retiring, he shifted to coaching, achieving significant success.

Growing up amongst two athletes, sports have always been Jaxson’s calling. He has his father’s athleticism and physique, and his mother’s basketball skills and IQ.

Lakers star Jaxson Hayes criticizes the US Basketball selection process

Hayes revealed in October that he is pursuing a Slovenian passport as he wanted to play in World Cups, Olympics, and other tournaments for a nation. Although his preference was the USA, he highlighted how the US basketball selection process is skewed.

“USA doesn’t do open tryouts,” Hayes said. “And I feel like there are guys they invite to the USA [training camp] that shouldn’t be there. So, I wanted to just play on that stage … I’m going to do whatever it takes to play on that stage.”

Upon understanding that he would never make it, he decided to push for the Slovenian passport, where he would be Luka Doncic‘s teammate. Plus, the Slovenia Basketball were also looking for a reliable center who could be a long-term fix. Hayes fits that description with relative ease.

Want to know another interesting fact?

He and Doncic have the same agent, Bill Duffy of WME Sports. Reportedly, Duffy was the first person to propose such a deal to Hayes, even before Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick has shown support for Hayes’ decision to switch nationality to play for Slovenia.

“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,” Redick stated when he heard the rumors.

Hayes, who was the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, is in his third season with the Lakers. He is averaging 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds. He has averaged 17.6 minutes per contest across 39 games as he is the backup to starting center Deandre Ayton.

For now, he will be featuring in the NBA’s Dunk Contest during the All-Star weekend. Apart from him, San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant has also accepted the invitation to the event.