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Photo: USA Today Sports – Illustration by Scanpix / BasketNews.lt
Photo USA Today Sports – Illustration by Scanpix / BasketNews.lt
The process of recovering the citizenship of Ignas Brazdeikis, which lasted more than a year, finally came to an end.
According to the website BasketNews.lt, the 22-year-old basketball player received the long-awaited approval from the Migration Department of the Republic of Lithuania: he was granted the status of citizen of the Republic of Lithuania.
“We are happy that Ignas is finally at the finish line,” Justas Kalinauskas, director of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF), confirmed to the BasketNews.lt website. – Ignas Brazdeikis has an official confirmation that he is a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania. He will be involved in the passport production process as soon as the NBA regular season is over. “
At the end of March, Brazdeikis successfully submitted to the Consulate General in New York all the necessary documents guaranteeing the right to Lithuanian citizenship under the conditions specified in Article 7 of the Citizenship Law of the Republic of Lithuania: “A citizen of the Republic of Lithuania may be a citizen of another state. “
Pursuant to paragraph 11, Brazdeikis is a person who acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania by birth, and the citizenship of another state, that is, Canada, was acquired by birth before the age of 18 for Ignas. According to the website BasketNews.lt, the athlete now has two citizenships: Lithuanian and Canadian.
The remaining formality for Brazdeikis to become a full Lithuanian citizen again is the presentation of a Lithuanian passport. This problem lasts for approximately two weeks, or more precisely, until the end of the Orlando Magic Club season.
You must physically present yourself at the nearest consulate or diplomatic mission of the Republic of Lithuania and complete the passport formalities.
The basketball player is likely to choose the Consulate General they have already visited in New York. The distance to Lithuania due to logistics will prolong the receipt of the passport.
However, one of the possible options is to return to Lithuania, where the passport will be issued urgently in just a few days.
Photo AP-Scanpix
At the end of the NBA regular season, Brazdeikis clings to the Magic team’s trust in him.
On May 2, a non-club Lithuanian signed a ten-day contract with the Orlando team on May 2, where he made his solid debut: in 14 minutes he scored 14 points, bounced 3 and took 2 balls. .
All of these indicators are the best so far in a short NBA career. The Magic, ranked 13th in the Eastern Conference, no longer have a chance of making the playoffs and will end the season in a May 15 game in Philadelphia with the hometown 76ers.
After Brazdeikis receives the Lithuanian passport again, the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) will immediately apply to FIBA and begin to resolve the situation regarding the basketball player’s right to represent his home country in international tournaments.
Until now, this right belongs to Canada, to which Brazdeikis moved to live with his family as a child. Growing up in this country’s basketball system, the Kaunas-born boy represented the Canadian team at the 2015 U16 American Championship and 2016 U17 World Tournament.
The change of status is evaluated individually by FIBA on a case-by-case basis, and this process will require the consent of the Canadian Basketball Federation and the approval of FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagkl.
According to the website BasketNews.lt, LKF has been communicating with the Canadian Federation for some time regarding the situation in Brazdeikis and there should be no problems with talent acquisition.
The LKF, which mediates the citizenship recovery process, tries to help organize all the formalities as soon as possible so that Brazdeikis, who intrigues with his talent, can be tested in the Lithuanian national team’s camp.
There is little more than a month before the start of preparations for the Olympic team; According to the website BasketNews.lt, the candidates’ congress is tentatively scheduled for June 10 and 12.
The team led by Darius Maskoliūnas will head to the Tokyo Olympics on June 29. – July 4 In qualifying that will take place in Kaunas.
2019 Brazdeikis, which opened the doors of the NBA, started in the legendary organization of the New York Knicks, which reversed the 47th call-up in Lithuania.
In this team, he has played only 13 games in two seasons, but this year he broke the bubble of the G league representing the Knicks affiliate.
Brazdeikis scored an average of 20.8 points in 12 games and was sixth in the lead according to this indicator. The 198cm tall lightweight forward also added 9.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
However, such a solid performance did not convince New York basketball bosses, and in late March, the Knicks involved Lithuania in a three-team trade, during which they found themselves in the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brazdeikis with the jersey of this club appeared on the field only once and was fired when the pigeon rushed. In early May, there was an opportunity from Magic, for whom the forward fighter seeks to extend the NBA dream.
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