Jaxson Hayes Poised for Slovenian Citizenship: Aiming to Join Forces with Luka Dončić Next Summer

During a post-preseason press conference after the Lakers’ recent exhibition match, center Jaxson Hayes discussed his connection with Slovenian superstar Luka Dončić.

He hinted at the possibility of acquiring Slovenian citizenship, stating, “Luka is my guy. We’re working on getting Slovenian citizenship so I can join him next summer,” after the Lakers fell to the Dallas Mavericks, 121-94 in Las Vegas.

Hayes had a strong performance, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and collecting 10 rebounds—marking his best showing of the preseason thus far.

The Slovenian Basketball Federation has confirmed that talks are underway concerning the naturalization of a center to bolster the national team.

“As we’ve noted before, we are looking into the potential addition of a new naturalized player in the center position. Our goal is to secure this player for an extended period to ensure the team’s consistency for the future. At this time, we cannot provide names or further details. We will make an announcement to the public once everything is finalized and the necessary procedures have been completed,” stated a spokesperson for the federation, according to rtslo.si.

Hayes, selected as the 8th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, began his career with the New Orleans Pelicans before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023. Over six seasons, he has logged 367 regular-season games, averaging 6.8 points and 3.9 rebounds.