Puerto Rican point guard Jhivvan Jackson, a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio, announced this Sunday through a press release his decision to represent the Panamanian national team.
However, he will need the governing body of basketball in Puerto Rico to grant him its endorsement, which is why the basket player himself has already requested to be released in order to change his sports citizenship.
Jackson was not among the 24 summoned a few days ago for the Puerto Rico Basketball Federation (FBPUR) for the pre-selection from which the group of 12 that will participate in the last FIBA qualifying window for the 2023 World Cup will come out. That window will be played in Puerto Rico on July 1 and 4 against the United States and Mexico.
“I want to communicate to all Puerto Rican basketball fans, through this means, that I have decided to represent the Panamanian national team at FIBA international events,” Jackson said in written statements.
Before making his decision, Jackson had up to three alternatives to choose from for sports citizenship. The player is born in Puerto Rico, son of the former Panamanian basket player Leroy Jackson, who played in Puerto Rico in the National Superior Basketball and belonged to the Panamanian team.
His mother, Yanira Meléndez, is the daughter of the legendary Puerto Rican leader Flor Meléndez, who is currently in charge of the Panamanian national program, but who assured for more than a year that he would not recruit his grandson or intervene so that he opted for the national team. of that Central American country.
Jhivvan also had the option to represent the United States by having American citizenship.
“I am the son of a Puerto Rican mother and a Panamanian father. Both have instilled in me the love of my roots, both Puerto Rican and Panamanian. I have been able, during my life, to enrich myself with both cultures that have made me a better person. So this decision, which I know will mark my life and career, has been very difficult for me,” Jackson added in the statement.
“I come from a basketball family, so this sport is my life. I have learned from my family respect for the institutions that run this sport. For this reason, I have already informed the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation, through a letter to its president, Mr. Yum Ramos, of my decision, accompanied by my gratitude for the opportunity provided.”
The Federation will evaluate the case before deciding
El Nuevo Día contacted Ramos when it was circulated on social networks that the Federation was considering a request to release Jackson, since he has belonged to the national program and has already represented the island with his youth teams. Ramos confirmed via text message the request made by the player.
“Yesterday, Saturday, we received a letter from the point guard Jhivvan Jackson in which he requested the change of sports citizenship to represent Panama in the next FIBA international tournaments. Now it is time to submit such a request to the National Teams Commission for its due evaluation and recommendation, so that later the Governing Board makes a final determination,” Ramos replied to this newspaper.
“Once the process is complete, the player will be notified of our final decision.”
Meléndez issues statements on the networks
In the case of Flor Meléndez, he made some written statements through the networks this Sunday, assuring that his grandson could not continue waiting for a call for the adult team. This newspaper also tried to obtain a statement from Meléndez in this regard, but to no avail.
“Jhivvan waited a long time and they didn’t consider it, why is his career going to be cut short as has happened to many, if he has an opportunity elsewhere. How many times have I had to emigrate to direct abroad. This is not patriotism, it is being able to survive the blows that you do not want,” Meléndez wrote. on the social network Twitter in response to a publication on the Kitin Wojnarowski account, in which it is mentioned that if the request made to the FBPUR materializes, Jackson could be directed by his grandfather in the Panamanian team.
The statements of Meléndez, former leader of the Puerto Rico National Team, leave doubts as to what the reality has been, since in 2021 the player’s agent let it be known that Jackson was not available due to a man injury. Federation President Ramos did not want to go into details this Sunday, beyond confirming that he received Jhivvan’s letter.
But El Nuevo Día learned that in the past the Federation has summoned the point guard who made history in his school years by becoming the Latin American basket player who has scored the most points in the NCAA for life.
As recently as November 2021, the agent of the basket player Quique Villalobos told this outlet that Jackson would not be able to debut with the Puerto Rican National Team due to his shoulder injury.
Jackson was recovering from surgery at the time and was not available to play in the first qualifying window for the 2023 World Cup.
Although Villalobos did not specifically say that the Federation summoned his representative, his response at the time implied that it did, or that at least there were reasons for not being summoned because he was not available.
“Jhivvan will not be able to play until he is discharged, which has not happened yet and probably will not be until next month,” Villalobos told El Nuevo Día last November.
For the same reason, Jackson was also not called up for the Serbian Olympic Repechage last summer.
Jackson had a brilliant NCAA career finishing with averages of 19.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
In the statement sent to the press by the player this Sunday, he himself clarifies why he is asking the FBPUR and Mr. Ramos to be released from his commitment. And it is that although he has the option of representing Panama through his father, Jackson already played for Puerto Rico as a youth.
“In the same way, I expressed my desire that he allow me to be where I understand it will be the best for my professional career, so in said letter I make my formal request for the change of sports citizenship because I played in the Puerto Rico U. -17, in the Centrobasket 2015 and the FIBA U-18 Championship in 2016, when my parents signed the documents required for my participation in said tournament”, recalled Jackson.
“Finally, I want to thank my Puerto Rican family for their understanding and for their unconditional support, which they have always given me throughout my career, and even more so at this time. I also thank all the fans and the basketball family of Puerto Rico who have believed in me and who have always supported me. I do not expect them to understand my decision, but I know they will be following my career and we will always be united by the passion for this wonderful sport that is basketball”, he concluded.