Bill Clears Way for Blatche to Play for the Philippines - NYTimes.comBill Clears Way for Blatche to Play for the Philippines - NYTimes.comMain MenuMain MenuType Size:AAANight Mode:DisableEnableAccount:SubscribeLog inThe New York TimesInternational New York TimesSearchGoShareTweetMoreSubscribeSubscribeMy accountLog inPro BasketballBill Clears Way for Blatche to Play for the PhilippinesAndray Blatche is expected to be eligible to represent the Philippines at the FIBA World Cup in August and September in Spain.Lynne Sladky / Associated PressShareBy ANDREW KEHMay 26, 2014Andray Blatche has never been to the Philippines. He has no Filipino roots. Blatche is from Syracuse, N.Y., about 8,000 miles from Quezon City, where the Philippine basketball team normally trains.But Blatche, a 27-year-old reserve center for the Nets, is on the verge of becoming a Filipino citizen and a member of the national basketball team.The Philippine team contacted Blatche in January, and a few days later, the country’s House of Representatives introduced a bill to grant Blatche citizenship.The Senate of the Philippines on Monday unanimously approved the bill naturalizing Blatche. President Benigno S. Aquino III was widely expected to sign the bill, which would make Blatche eligible to represent the country at the FIBA World Cup in August and September in Spain.Chot Reyes, the Philippines coach, went on Twitter on Monday to express his delight. “Thank you Congress!” he wrote.One fan asked Reyes on Twitter how many N.B.A. players the program had contacted about representing the Philippines and why it had selected Blatche.“A lot,” Reyes wrote back. “Only he said yes.”The team also tried to naturalize Blatche’s friend JaVale McGee, a former teammate on the Washington Wizards. But McGee, who had helped the team get in touch with Blatche, was eventually ruled out because of injury.Last Wednesday, Blatche visited the Philippine Consulate on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to submit an affidavit affirming his commitment to play for the team and to learn about the culture of the country.“I’m not too quite sure about anything about it,” he said in January, shortly after the bill was introduced. “They brought it to my attention, and I was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds cool.’ ”He added, “Honestly, it just came out of left field.”Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines, and the country has increasingly been targeted by the N.B.A. and its players as a market for their products.No Filipino player has played in the N.B.A. Erik Spoelstra, the coach of the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, has Filipino roots on his mother’s side.Last month, Blatche posted a photograph on Twitter of Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino boxer, with the caption “Me and my cousin pacquiao training b4 the fight lol.” The Nets said Monday that Blatche would not be available to comment.Blatche appears set to have an eventful summer. The day after the Nets were eliminated from the postseason, he said he intended to opt out of his contract to explore free agency.By the middle of the summer, then, he could have a new passport and a different N.B.A. uniform.Related CoverageNets’ Blatche May Represent Philippines, a Nation That’s Foreign Even to Him Jan 30, 2014ShareSaveShow Full Article                            xSharexEmailTwitterRedditGooglePermalinkhttp://nyti.ms/1gwbQx2ToolsSaveMore In Pro BasketballKnicks 98, 76ers 91Facing 76ers, Knicks Earn a Win. Someone Had To. In a game between two teams jockeying for the top pick in the N.B.A. draft, the Knicks, whether they liked it or not, took home the victory.N.B.A. RoundupCavaliers Win Fourth Straight; Pistons Hold Off the MagicThe N.B.A. has announced that the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend will have a new format, pitting first- and second-year players from the United States against first- and second-year players from around the world.Sports BusinessLoyal Knicks Fans May Deserve a Medal. But a Refund? A Knicks fan says the team should lower ticket prices or learn from Broadway, where theatergoers are compensated when major stars cannot appear.Back to topMain MenuHomeHomeWorldU.S.U.S. NewsPoliticsU.S. PoliticsThe UpshotNew YorkBusinessBusinessBusiness DayTechnologySportsSportsOpinionOpinionScienceHealthArtsArtsStyleStylePhotosVideoMost EmailedTimes PremierMore SectionsAutomobilesBlogsBooksFoodFoodFoodEducationHome & GardenMagazineMoviesMusicMedia & AdvertisingObituariesPublic EditorGreat Homes and DestinationsReal EstateSunday ReviewT MagazineTelevisionTheaterTimes WireTravelWeddingsCorrectionsRecommendationsSavedSettingsEdition:Type Size:AAANight Mode:DisableEnableAccount:SubscribeLog inDownload Our AppsNYTimesNYT NowDownload the NYTimes appHelpSubscribeFeedbackTerms of ServicePrivacy© 2015 The New York Times Company