Kyle focused on playoffs amid Team China links

With his NBA team's playoff hopes hanging in the balance, Kyle Anderson admits he's not quite in the right frame of mind to consider his international career just now.

The versatile Minnesota Timberwolves forward, however, is open to a potential offer from the Chinese Basketball Association to represent the country where his mother's family originated.

"It's something I will talk over with my family and my agent, but I am really focused on the Timberwolves right now. I think once our season is over I will sit down with my family and make a decision," Anderson told Tencent Sports before the Timberwolves' 108-102 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in the NBA's play-in tournament.

Despite the overtime loss in Los Angeles, Anderson's all-around game, highlighted by an efficient double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, was a big factor in Minnesota keeping the lead through most of the four quarters. The performance added to the clamor from Chinese fans to sign him up for national team duty.

With his mother's grandfather hailing from a village in southern metropolis Shenzhen, Guangdong province, the 29-year-old Anderson could be eligible to suit up for Team China on the international stage if the CBA lodges an official naturalization application and governing body FIBA approves it.

"My mother put in countless hours trying to find out where our family was in China and we were able to locate them," said Anderson, who visited the village in Shenzhen with his mother and wife in the summer of 2018 to trace his family roots.

"We were worried if they were going to accept us or not. They welcomed us with open arms. They were really sweet and nice people and we had a great time with them," said Anderson, dubbed "Li Kaier" by Chinese fans who have combined his mother's Chinese family name with the Chinese pronunciation of his first name in English.

"It means a lot to me just to see where my roots go and how far back they go. And to see that it takes me all the way back to China is amazing and near and dear in my heart."

During a media day last week in Beijing, CBA president Yao Ming reiterated the Chinese national program's open mind to drafting foreign-born talents with Chinese ancestry to bolster the country's international performances.

Yao, though, refused to reveal the CBA's stance on Anderson's naturalization prospects.

Instead, he stressed that a positive approach to blending in with Chinese culture and staying emotionally close to the fans are among Team China's selection criteria for naturalized talents.

So far, Anderson appears to tick those boxes.

"I want to go back there. I love being in China," Anderson said. "I was eating dinner and a few people just noticed me. That just blew me away that I have fans over there. I would love to experience that again."