Team GB: are they eligible?

Steve Nash. Michael Olowokandi. Ndudi Ebi.
These three names are probably the best examples from history.

Nash is a former NBA MVP and still one of the best point guards in the league today.

Olowokandi was the 1998 No.1 draft pick, taken above Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitzki. He is generally considered to be a "bust", but overall he had a solid NBA career with highs of 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds coming in the 2003/04 season.

Ebi was the no.26 overall pick in 2003 NBA Draft. He is a genuine bust, and his career has been disappointing even in Europe. Nevertheless, he has still played at a high-level, and is probably still young enough to get back to the top level.

So what do Nash, Olowokandi and Ebi have in common?

They were all eligible to play basketball for Great Britain, and they all chose to play for someone else.

Tottenham Hotspur fan Nash was born in South Africa to a Welsh mother and English father. His family moved to Canada when he was 18 months old, but he regularly visited London, where his father was from.
He represented Canada, and while still going strong in the NBA, appears to have retired from international basketball.

Olowokandi who was born in Lagos, Nigeria grew up in Britain. He went to high school in Seaford, about half an hour away from where I live. He represented Nigeria and has now retired from pro basketball.

Ebi is technically still eligible to play for GB. But he appears to consider himself more Nigerian than British.

So, with these three potential Brits missing in action, are there any other dual-nationality possibilities that aren't gracing the current team?

Kelenna Azubuike is the most obvious target. Born in London, he was raised in the US. He would be a massive asset to the wing, where GB are probably weakest at the moment.

Dante Cunningham is having a decent start to the season for Portland Trailblazers. He has worked out with the GB team in the past, and appears to have some British heritage which may allow him to represent GB if he gets a passport.

Big men Chris Ayer and Ross Allsop both represented England this summer, suggesting they are eligible for Great Britain too. Ayer has played in the NBA D-League and is currently under contract in Japan. Allsop is in his final year at Nova Southeastern University in the US. Ayer is the better of the two, but GB is pretty stacked at the power forward and centre positions.

In Europe there are a number of players who haven't played for GB but appear to have a British passport. Darren Phillip, Ugonna Onyekwe in Spain and Andrew Lovedale in France are all forwards who could be used. 6'6'' swingman Dee Ayuba is currently playing in Sweden.

There aren't very many guards though. Lindsay Tait (New Zealand) and Artur Drozdov (Poland) apparently have GB passports but have represented other countries. The story is the same for Australian Daryl Corletto, who has been invited to GB camps in the past. Although Lee Jeka who has been playing in Germany may be a possibility.