Experienced basketball player Charles Jenkins, who plays for Red Star and Olympiacos, talked about Shane Larkin, who plays in the Turkish National Basketball Team as a Turkish citizen.
The fact that Americans played in different national teams marked EuroBasket 2022. The tournament was criticized from time to time because almost all teams used American players. US actor Charles Jenkins, who also has Serbian citizenship, made a statement to the Serbian newspaper Mando.
‘I DON’T PLAY FOR SERBIA’
Expressing that there is a lot of pressure to play for another country, Jenkins said, “Honestly, I wouldn’t play for Serbia even if they invited me. Yes, I have a passport, but Serbs are proud people. They only want players born in Serbia to play for the national team. That’s why I wouldn’t even consider playing. “I respect that stance of the Serbs. It’s a huge pressure to play for another country. Some will be happy you play for them, some won’t.” said.
‘LARKIN EXPLAINED’
Speaking about the Turkey-Serbia match played within the scope of FIBA World Cup Qualification, Jenkins supported Shane Larkin from the Turkish National Basketball Team. Jenkins said about the match: “I watched the match between Turkey and Serbia and saw that Shane missed shots that he would normally shoot easily. And after the match, I saw Larkin make a statement on the subject. Here’s what people don’t understand. Let the national team play the same game in different clubs. not played.”
‘There are players who constantly want ball’
Saying that Larkin is an American who plays for another national team, Jenkins said, “When I was playing for Red Star, they expected me to attack and shoot. When I moved to another team, they asked me to focus more on defense. Shane is an American basketball player who plays for another national team. There are players like Osman, Furkan Korkmaz, Sertaç Şanlı who always want the ball. Larkin is asked to contribute to basketball players born in Turkey and therefore under pressure.” he said.
The star player of the A National Basketball Team, Shane Larkin, drew criticism for his performance after the Turkey-Serbia match played in the Second Round of the FIBA World Cup Qualifications. Larkin released a statement on the subject on his social media account.
‘I’M PROUD’
Larkin said, “My role in the national team and my role in Efes are completely different. People expect me to play the game I played in Efes, but this is a different team with different players. My job in the national team is to help other players and make them better. It’s not about me, “It’s about us. I’m proud of the character my team has shown.” said.
(Ajansspor)
