Norman Powell setting the stage to help put Jamaica on the map on the international level

The 31-year-old is coming off a season where he averaged a career-high 21.8 points per game and 3.0 made three-pointers per game.

Powell was not born in Jamaica but has Jamaican roots. Some other notable NBA players who have Jamaican heritage through a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent and are on the radar of the Jamaican Basketball Association include Amen and Ausar Thompson (Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons, respectively), Justin and Julian Champagnie (Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs, respectively), Isaiah Stewart (Pistons) and Josh Minott (Minnesota Timberwolves).

Nick Richards (Phoenix Suns) is the only current active NBA player who was born in Jamaica and would also likely be another candidate for the roster.

Getting NBA-level talent to commit to play for a national team outside of the major international events can be tough due to logistics. After a long NBA schedule, players tend to look forward to the offseason to use it for rest and recovery but throw in more games over the summer before the NBA schedule resumes and it becomes an even longer grind that takes more of a toll on players.

That’s why Powell’s commitment to Jamaica for this upcoming event is unprecedented, but he sees the long-term vision.

Jamaica hasn’t been known for its NBA talent, and the biggest name to come from the Caribbean nation is Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. The national team hasn’t played a competitive game since 2021, which also makes these upcoming pre-qualifiers significant, as it can open the door for more games and more exposure in the future.

Jamaica will compete in August against Mexico, Chile, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Ecuador. If it finishes in the top four, it will advance to the next stage of qualifiers and move one step closer to a potential FIBA World Cup bid.

Jamaica is currently ranked 107^th in the FIBA World Rankings and has never qualified for the Olympics or the FIBA World Cup.

If it can secure commitments from even a couple of these NBA players, the vision of the federation would start to become a reality, which means a potential breakthrough, newfound success and qualification to one of these major events may not be that far out of reach as it used to be.