Kyle Anderson of the Timberwolves plays for the Chinese national team in the FIBA ​​World Cup

BEIJING (AP) Minnesota Timberwolves sixth man Kyle Anderson will play in China at the FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup starting next month.

Anderson and the Chinese Basketball Association announced the addition of Anderson to the list on Monday. Anderson’s maternal great-grandfather was Chinese, so Anderson was eligible to play for the Chinese national team as a citizen.

Li Kai’er is coming #FIBAWC x #WinForChina https://t.co/Q2E8XoTr2q

— FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup 2023 (@FIBAWC) July 24, 2023

Hello, fans in China, this is Li Kaier. I am happy to announce that I will represent China at the World Cup. “Very proud and honored to wear the Team China jersey,” Anderson said, using his Chinese name in a video posted to his Weibo account.

There were 18 players at China’s training camp last month, but coach Aleksandar Djordjevic said at the time that he could add more players.

In his first season with the Timberwolves, Anderson averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. He was a first-round NBA draft pick in 2014 after playing two seasons at UCLA.

China will begin World Cup group play against Serbia in the Philippines on August 26.