Sacramento Kings guard gives Dominican Republic three NBA players for 2023 FIBA World Cup
Kings guard Chris Duarte will have two talented NBA big men by his side this summer when he represents his native Dominican Republic in the FIBA World Cup.
Duarte will be joined by Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns and Boston Celtics center Al Horford, giving the Dominican Republic three proven NBA players for international competition.
Duarte was born in the Dominican Republic. As a teenager, he moved to New York, where he starred at Redemption Christian Academy. Duarte represented his homeland for the first time last summer in World Cup qualifiers.
“The day I was presented at home with the team, I almost cried,” Duarte told FIBA.basketball. “It’s something I can’t explain. Seeing the fans applauding, shouting my name, the pride of being there did not fit in my chest. It was fulfilling a childhood dream.”
Duarte and Horford were born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Towns is eligible to represent the country because his mother, who died in April 2020 due to complications of COVID-19, is from the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic will play a series of preparation games against Puerto Rico, Latvia, Spain and Canada in the coming weeks before traveling to Manila for group stage games at the World Cup. The Dominican Republic will open Group A play against the Philippines on Aug. 25 before facing Italy on Aug. 27 and Angola on Aug. 29.
The Kings recently acquired Duarte, 26, in a trade that sent two future second-round draft picks to the Indiana Pacers. The 6-foot-5 guard is set to join a backcourt that features De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk and Davion Mitchell, adding size, shooting, defense and depth to an already talented group.
Duarte said he was looking forward to reuniting with former Pacers center Domantas Sabonis when he met with Sacramento media at the Las Vegas Summer League.
“I’m just excited for this new journey,” Duarte said. “Looking forward to working with the team. Great organization. Great fan base. Getting back together with Domas. I’m just excited overall.”
Duarte averaged 10.7 points over his first two NBA seasons with the Pacers. He was an NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection in 2022 after averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 36.9% from 3-point range.
Towns, 27, is a three-time NBA All-Star. He averaged 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Timberwolves last season despite being limited to 29 games due to injuries.
Horford, 37, is a five-time All-Star and 16-year NBA veteran. He averaged 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Celtics last season.
