MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell has signalled his willingness to represent Jamaica’s national basketball team and has pledged to encourage other NBA players with Jamaican heritage to follow suit. His comments come against the backdrop of the Jamaica Basketball Association’s (JaBA) move to bolster its squad with high-level talent.

Vassell was speaking to reporters at the Herbert Morrison Technical High School, where he gifted students from high schools across western Jamaica basketball paraphernalia on Monday.

“I’m 100 per cent willing to play for the national team. I definitely want to play,” Vassell said.

“I’m gonna try and talk to some of the other guys and some of the other names that I’ve been hearing, to see if they want to play. I can’t speak for them, but I can definitely tell you that I want to [play for Jamaica],” Vassell assured.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Vassell qualifies to don Jamaica’s national black, green, and gold colours through his father, Andrew, who hails from Runaway Bay in St Ann.

JaBA President Paulton Gordon welcomed the news, noting that it aligns with the association’s objectives.

“I’m quite happy. I’m elated. We’re trying to ensure that all the persons connected to Jamaica have the opportunity to play for Jamaica,” Gordon said.

He argued that while Jamaica has great local basketball talent, half of its talent is actually overseas in the diaspora, and since basketball is far more developed in the United States, JaBA is focused on leveraging overseas resources, including players and coaches, to integrate with local efforts and strengthen the sport nationally.

Gordon, however, highlighted that hurdles remain due to a FIBA (International Basketball Federation) rule requiring players to obtain their passport before age 16 to play without restriction. He noted that while Jamaica currently has three NBA players who meet this criterion, there are many other interested players being engaged.

JaBA is working on securing their citizenship and passports, and exploring appeal opportunities through FIBA.

“There’s an appeal opportunity through FIBA dependent on how connected they are to the country, and we’re working on that window, and that possibility,” Gordon explained.

“I’m aiming for a very strong, powerful team in the Americas that will be a force to be reckoned with, to compete in the FIBA Americas tournament, the World Cup qualifying tournaments, and ultimately the Olympics. That’s where we’re heading, and this is the start of the movement,” Gordon added.

In addition to Vassell, Toronto Raptors All-Star Barnes, and Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, all qualify to represent Jamaica through their respective fathers.

Los Angeles Clippers star Norman Powell and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Josh Minott have already committed to Jamaica and are set to play in the FIBA World Cup Americas Pre-Qualifiers in August.

Meanwhile, twin brothers Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons have also both stated their willingness to represent Jamaica and are said to have begun the process of acquiring Jamaican passports.