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Ajani Williams, president of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA), said his administration will begin talks with a number National Basketball Association (NBA) players who have expressed interest in representing Jamaica at this year's FIBA World Championship final-round qualifiers at the end of the month. Williams said his organisation will be holding talks with point guard Ben Gordon of Charlotte Bobcats, Indiana Pacers centre Roy Hibbert and André Drummond of Detroit Pistons. "We are going to make our best effort to get these players and then we will see how well things pan out," said Williams. Jamaica Gleaner

Charlotte Bobcats, Indiana Pacers, FIBA, Roy Hibbert, Ben Gordon, World Championship, Jamaica 

Sittingbourne basketball star Ryan Richards is at the eye of an Olympic storm after defecting from the Great Britain set-up to join Jamaica ahead of the London 2012 Games. The former Medway Park Crusaders star - who was drafted by NBA giants the San Antonio Spurs in 2010 - ended the season playing in the Georgian SuperLeague in a bid to prove his fitness and form before the Olympics. However the 6ft 11inc forward has decided to swap TeamGB for the nation of his father’s birth after winning seven senior caps last year. The 21-year-old confirmed to the KM Group: "I’m not involved with GB anymore," but question marks remain about his eligibility under FIBA rules having represented Britain at senior level as well as under-20s. Kent Online

Ryan Richards, Great Britain, Olympics, Jamaica 

Hibbert has requested that the Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA) release him so he may try out for the United States basketball team. His agent, David Faulk, also emailed JaBA asking for an immediate release. However, according to JaBA president Ajani Williams, the association has not yet honoured the request due to FIBA processes and statutes governing such a transfer among other considerations. Hibbert is eligible to play for Jamaica because his father was originally from Jamaica. On February 9, 2012, Hibbert was selected to his first All-Star game as a reserve for the Eastern Conference. jamaicaobserver.com

Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert, USA Basketball, Jamaica 

After Howard and Portland big man LaMarcus Aldridge were knocked out of Olympic consideration due to recent injuries, there were some feelers from USA Basketball about Hibbert possibly being named to the Olympic pool. But Hibbert said he was unsuccessful in dealings with FIBA, the governing body of international basketball, to be allowed to switch countries and now considers it a dead issue. "They had a rule that we didn't know about when I played with Team Jamaica that I can't play for Team USA again," Hibbert said. "We had international lawyers looking at it and they say it's very doubtful… If I knew that two years ago, I wouldn't have played for Team Jamaica, but whoever thought Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge would be hurt at my position?" FOXSports Florida

Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert, USA Basketball, Jamaica 

Patrick Ewing Jnr, former New York Knicks and New Orleans Hornets player, will also join the team, along with Ryan Reid of the Oklahoma Thunder and Jerome Jordan of the New York Knicks. jamaicaobserver.com

Patrick Ewing Jr, Jamaica 

Ajani Williams, president of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA), said National Basketball Association (NBA) player Roy Hibbert has asked the administration for a release in order to become eligible to play for the United States at this summer's Olympic Games. "He (Hibbert's agent) said they were grateful to us for having him playing with our team because he has a shot at playing with Team USA, and so they would like JaBA to release him from the national team," said Williams during an interview with The Gleaner yesterday. Jamaica Gleaner

Indiana Pacers, USA Basketball, Jamaica, Ajani Williams 

However, there are some compliance issues that have to be worked out with USA Basketball and the world governing body FIBA. "Our simple response was that we can't just handle this matter from JaBA to the player or from JaBA to the agent, and so on, it has to be from JaBA to the USA Basketball Federation," said Williams. Jamaica Gleaner

Indiana Pacers, USA Basketball, Jamaica, Ajani Williams 

Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert would be another natural contender, especially after his stint on the USA's Pan- American team in 2007, but Hibbert elected to join Jamaica's senior national team for the 2010 Centrobasket tournament and FIBA rules preclude players from representing two different countries at the senior level. ESPN.com

Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert, USA Basketball, Jamaica 

With a shortage of big men available, Pacers center Roy Hibbert wants the opportunity to play for Team USA in the Olympics this summer in London. “It would be nice to be able to do something like that,” Hibbert said. “I always said I wanted to play in the Olympics for the US. I played with Team Jamaica last year. Hopefully I can get a quick release. It would mean the world to me to be able to participate for Team USA.” Indianapolis Star

Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert, USA Basketball, Jamaica 

Roy Hibbert: I want to clarify to those on PD I am an American who played on the Jamaican team. Wikipedia has it wrong. That really grinds my gears. Twitter

Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert, Jamaica 

Washington Wizards 6-11 forward Andray Blatche is taking a break from a summer training session he believes will yield his first All-Star selection to assist school children in Jamaica. On Sunday, Blatche and a traveling party of NFL players Frostee Rucker, Raheem Brock, Shaun Smith, Rudi Johnson, Ryan Wallace along with Jamaican expats Byron and Ingrid Bachelor – a husband and wife accounting team that runs the RuJohn Foundation – arrived in Kingston for a three-day goodwill mission. Blatche said he was inspired to make the return visit by the resilience shown by students dealing with substandard classrooms, among other challenges, when he, Johnson and Celtics guard Delonte West toured the island two years ago. Miami Herald

Washington Wizards, Andray Blatche, Jamaica 

Blatche, who helped refurbish a basketball court at Kingston College on his previous trip, is expected to contribute $50,000 toward the renovation of the school’s athletic facility and donate basketballs, sneakers and T-Shirts at sports camps in Negril and Kingston. Along each stop, Blatche said he will also bring his young audience, whom he claims a big brother type kinship with, words of encouragement. Miami Herald

Washington Wizards, Andray Blatche, Jamaica