SB Nation

Orlando Magic could be well represented internationally this summer

Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

The Magic could have as many as six players on their current roster playing for their countries this summer.

Every professional athlete dreams about being able to play and represent their country.

While that comes more often in some sports, mainly soccer, that only comes every few years in basketball, which makes it that much sweeter.

With the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro quickly approaching, select NBA players can slowly begin thinking about the chances they might have to represent their country during the basketball tournament.

The Orlando Magic could be one of the more well represented teams come August.

With 14 players on the roster, as many as six could, or will be suiting up for their country in the summer.

Mario Hezonja, the Magic's first round pick last summer, has already stated he plans to play for the Croatian national team during the Olympic qualifications on July 4th-9th. Because of this, Hezonja will miss a chance to play with the Magic in the Orlando Summer League.

"I think it's an amazing opportunity for us," said Hezonja when asked about playing in the Olympics. "Happy for it, for a chance to finally do something for the people of Croatia."

Evan Fournier, who is entering restricted free agency, said he would love to play for the French national team, but won't do so until after he signs his contract, be that with the Magic or another team. With the NBA's moratorium being shortened by five days, Fournier could potentially sign, and still finish the qualification tournament for France.

Much like Fournier, Andrew Nicholson and, likely, Ersan Ilyasova, will be hitting free agency this summer right when the qualification tournament begins.

Ilyasova said he will look at all of his options before deciding if he will play for Turkey.

The final Magic man potentially lined with a chance to play in the Olympics is Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo, who has taken part in mini-camp with the United States team the last few summers, has the opportunity to play for Nigeria this summer, should he choose. It's something Oladipo has considered, but when asked, admitted he had yet to come to a decision. Oladipo's mom is from Nigeria, which gives Oladipo the chance to play for them, should he choose.

When asked if he had considered further if he would play, Oladipo said no. "I guess now that there’s time off, I can really dive into that and see what’s actually going on. We’ll see."

Nigeria has already qualified for the Olympics after winning AfroBasket in 2015.

The final Magic player, and second who will be playing for sure, is Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic will play for the Montenegrin team when they begin qualification for EuroBasket in late August.

Overall, it's going to be a big summer for the Magic, and this group of players will have a chance to make it even bigger.

Playing for ones country is something special, and something that should be taken advantage of at every possible chance.

In This Article

Teams
  • Orlando Magic
Players
  • Mario Hezonja (F-ORL)
  • Victor Oladipo (G-ORL)
  • Evan Fournier (G-ORL)
  • Mario Hezonja (G-ORL)
  • Ersan Ilyasova (F-ORL)
  • Andrew Nicholson (F-ORL)

Team Shop

  • adidas Penny Hardaway Orlando Magic Black Hardwood Classics Swingman Jersey
    $109.99 Buy Now navigateright
  • adidas Shaquille O'Neal Orlando Magic Black Hardwood Classics Swingman Jersey
    $109.99 Buy Now navigateright
  • Mitchell & Ness Penny Hardaway Orlando Magic Black Hardwood Classics Name & Number T-Shirt
    $43.95 Buy Now navigateright
X
Log In Sign Up
If you currently have a username with "@" in it, please email support@voxmedia.com.
forgot?
forgot?
Log In Sign Up

Forgot password?

We'll email you a reset link.
If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.

Forgot username?

We'll email it to you.
If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.

Forgot password?

If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.
Try another email?

Forgot username?

If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.
Try another email?

Almost done,

By becoming a registered user, you are also agreeing to our Terms and confirming that you have read our Privacy Policy.

Join Orlando Pinstriped Post

You must be a member of Orlando Pinstriped Post to participate.
We have our own Community Guidelines at Orlando Pinstriped Post. You should read them.

Join Orlando Pinstriped Post

You must be a member of Orlando Pinstriped Post to participate.
We have our own Community Guidelines at Orlando Pinstriped Post. You should read them.

Authenticating

Great!

Choose an available username to complete sign up.
In order to provide our users with a better overall experience, we ask for more information from Facebook when using it to login so that we can learn more about our audience and provide you with the best possible experience. We do not store specific user data and the sharing of it is not required to login with Facebook.