Pat Connaughton has expressed his interest in honoring his Irish heritage and suiting up for Ireland’s men’s national basketball team.
As he opened up his basketball clinic at the Basketball Ireland’s Academy in Ireland, the Milwaukee Bucks swingman declared that he would love to play and represent the country on the international scene.
“I’d love to play over here,” Connaughton said, who holds a dual citizenship of being an Irish and American. “I’d love to play for the Irish national team someday. Obviously for me, it’s what I’m allowed to do in the off-season based off of playing for the Milwaukee Bucks with our contracts and things of that nature, but being able to wear the Irish flag, with my last name, having citizenship, being 100% Irish, it’d be really cool to represent the country.”
Connaughton traces his Irish roots in both of his parents. In a Q&A interview back in 2019, the 30-year-old revealed that the families of his mother and father hail from the said nation.
Ireland still has a developing basketball program and stands as the No. 96 nation within the FIBA World Rankings. Nevertheless, they can certainly obtain much-needed support to heighten their ranks from the service of Connaughton’s sweet shooting and veteran command.
Connaughton is coming off his eighth campaign in the NBA with the Bucks and averaged 7.6 points, 4.6 boards, and 1.3 assists for 61 games during the 2022-23 regular season.
