Washington Wizards’ big man Drew Gooden is apparently half Finnish and has citizenship in Finland. With that being said, he has decided that he will play for Finland during the World Cup tournaments, reports Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post.

According to reports, Drew Gooden’s father met his mother while playing in Finland, making Gooden half Finnish from his mother’s side.

Finland will participate in the upcoming World Cup tournament beginning August 30, but they lack talent. Gooden will provide good floor spacing, energy, and rebounding to the team. Finland only has one NBA player on their roster, which is Erik Murphy, but Gooden is a seasoned veteran and will have plenty of weight to carry on his shoulders.

Finland, who is ranked 39th in the world, made it to the World Cup as a “wild card” team, along with Greece (ranked fifth), Turkey (ranked seventh), and Brazil (ranked 10th). Finland more so made it to the World Cup because they can generate money for FIBA.

Unfortunately for Finland, they kick the tournament off by playing Team USA, who are ranked first in the world. Drew Gooden and his Finland team will have their hands full right from the start. It will certainly be a tough task for them.

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Vahan Shakhpazyan
Vahan Shakhpazyan loves the NBA with a passion and has been an avid follower for 18 years. He is a UCR graduate with a BA degree in Creative Writing. The man behind the Facebook page NBA updates.