Even if he has to secure his own papers on his own or go through the naturalization process, Remy Martin is willing to do whatever it takes to finally don the Gilas Pilipinas jersey.
In an interview with SPIN.ph during Strong Group Athletics’ final practice before leaving for Taipei for the Jones Cup, the former US NCAA standout stressed that playing for the national team remains his ultimate dream.
“Anything it takes. Anything it takes, as long as I'm able to play in Gilas. Like, that's what I want to do,” Martin said. “Obviously, the best is localized (player of Gilas), but if it takes being, you know, naturalized, then of course, you know, I'll do it."
READ Remy Martin says playing for Gilas 'bigger than making it to NBA'
Because he did not secure a physical Philippine passport before turning 16 — a strict FIBA pre-requisite for dual citizens — Martin is currently not eligible to represent the Philippines in FIBA-organized tournaments as a local.
However, the former US NCAA national champion with the Kansas Jayhawks, whose mother is Filipina, believes he has a shot at becoming eligible to play for Gilas as a local upon appeal since he has held dual citizenship since he was a kid.
The only problem was, his parents failed to secure his Philippine passport before he turned 16.
“Obviously, I didn't get my passport at the right time, but I was a dual before I was 16, so I just didn't go all the way and get my passport,” explained Martin, noting his parents simply overlooked the rule.
“They didn't think I was going to play basketball at this level... If we had known a lot sooner, obviously this would have been no problem,” he said. "We tried everything we could. Like I said, I was a dual [citizen] before 16, I just didn't get my physical passport, and that's the only problem.
"I don't think there should be a problem with me playing Gilas if you look at everything that I do have — my documents, my mom's documents, everything that we provided. I just think that people never really thought I was serious with my career and how it's gone, but I've been trying to make this work for a long time now, and I think it's a perfect time."
With the Asian Games providing a potential opening under different eligibility guidelines, Martin has appealed to Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) to help pave his way to the lineup.
But time is not on his side, should the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and coach Tim Cone consider him for the coming Nagoya-Aichi gold medal defense.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) requires participating nations to submit names of athletes two months before the opening ceremonies. The 20th Asiad will kick off on September 19, while basketball action starts on September 12.
Still, the six-foot guard remains hopeful that with the help of the SBP or the POC through president Bambol Tolentino, something can be done.
“I just hope that he sees that I'm not just doing it for my benefit... I think I'm a really good piece for us to make history,” he said.
Beyond making his national team debut, Martin is particularly eager to share the backcourt with homegrown center Kai Sotto.
“I think Kai Sotto and I playing together will be good. Because Kai is an agile center! With a big like him, I can be very aggressive downhill,” the 28-year old said. “I think that we can elevate this country to a whole other level.”
Martin averaged 14.9 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game across 118 appearances for Arizona in the US NCAA. Martin was supposed to join the NBA draft in 2021, only to withdraw and play a final season at Kansas.
He eventually lost his bid for an NBA career after suffering an Achilles injury while playing for Icelandic team Keflavik.
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