Omari Spellman (KGC) has completed the process of acquiring Lebanese citizenship.
The Lebanese Basketball Association said on the official SNS on the 19th, “Spellman has been able to join the Lebanese basketball team. He can’t wait to see what Spell Man will do on the court.”
Spellman, a former NBA leaguer, debuted at Anyang KGC in the 2021-2022 season and has been active as a top-notch foreign player along with Jamil Warney (SK). This season, he averaged 19.9 points (2nd place), 2.8 3-point shots (2nd place), 9.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocked shots in 51 regular league games, giving KGC the regular league championship. In the EASL (East Asia Super League) held in Japan last month, he led KGC to the championship and was selected as the first MVP.안전놀이터
Lebanon has recently been developing its competitiveness on the Asian stage. Last year, he was runner-up at the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Asian Cup, and Wael Arakji was selected as the MVP. Lebanon’s FIBA ranking is 43rd.
After qualifying for the 2023 Basketball World Cup, Lebanon implemented a more active naturalization policy to strengthen the national team and acquired a spellman. Jonathan Alledge (Carrot) also has experience in international competitions as a member of Lebanon.
However, the contract with Lebanon is until the Basketball World Cup. A KGC official said, “I heard that they did not sign a long-term contract with the association like Laguna (KCC). Until he talked with us, he said that only playing in the World Cup was a condition. I may re-sign contracts related to participation in international competitions in the future based on my performance in the World Cup, but I will not play until the Asian Games in Hangzhou.”
It is also unlikely to advance to the Lebanese League, where foreign players’ salaries are low. A KGC official said of Spellman, “Contracts with pro league teams are an autonomous part. First of all, we need to discuss with our team whether to renew the contract. After the championship game, he plans to play in the Puerto Rico League. After that, I think I will rest in the United States and join the Lebanese national team when they call to prepare for the World Cup.”
Meanwhile, the World Cup will be held in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan from August 25 to September 10. The preliminaries will be held at Okinawa Arena in Japan, and the group draw will be held in Manila, Philippines on the 29th.