Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. unlikely to play for Mexico in Olympic qualifying tournament
Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. said Friday he is unlikely to represent Mexico in the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament July 2-7 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Jaquez, who was born in California, made his first appearance with the Mexican national team as a dual citizen at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. He also participated in minicamps with USA Basketball at the youth level.
The 23-year-old hasn’t ruled out suiting up again for Mexico on the international level, though, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, that likely will not happen this year.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. says he doesn't think he will play for Mexico in Olympic qualifying this summer.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) May 3, 2024
Eight teams have already qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games. The remaining four spots in the 12-team field are reserved for the winners of the qualifying tournaments, which will take place in Greece, Latvia, Puerto Rico and Spain.
Mexico is one of six teams competing in the qualifying tournament in San Juan, along with Bahrain, Côte d’Ivoire, Italy, Lithuania and Puerto Rico. The team will face Lithuania (July 2) and Côte d’Ivoire (July 4) in the group phase.
The men, who have made seven Olympic appearances, most recently qualified for the Games in 1976. The team has won one medal after taking home the bronze in 1936.
