Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes May Join Jamaica for FIBA World Cup Qualifying Run

Scottie Barnes may be set to make his international basketball debut this summer, not with Team USA but with Team Jamaica.

The 23-year-old Raptors forward is in discussions to join Jamaica’s senior national team for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Pre-Qualifiers, scheduled for August, according to Daniel Blake of the Jamaica Observer. Born and raised in Florida, Barnes is eligible to represent Jamaica through his father’s side of the family.

Barnes previously played for Team USA at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, helping lead the team to a gold medal, but he has never appeared in a senior-level competition. Under FIBA eligibility rules, that leaves the door open for him to change affiliations.

He was part of the tryout pool for the 2024 Paris Olympics but did not make the final roster for Team USA.

Former Raptors guard Norman Powell has already committed to play for Jamaica this summer.

“I’m super excited to join Team Jamaica. Coach Turner and I have worked on this for a while, and now it’s a reality,” Powell said in a video released by the Jamaica Basketball Association.

If Barnes follows suit, the two could headline a new era for Jamaican basketball. The program, is reportedly recruiting NBA players with Jamaican heritage. That list includes Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell, Timberwolves forward Josh Minott, and twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson, who have begun the process of acquiring Jamaican passports, according to Blake.

Jamaica is currently ranked 107th in the FIBA world rankings, but the influx of high-level talent could change that quickly. The team is set to compete in the pre-qualifiers alongside Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Costa Rica, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The top four teams will move on to the FIBA Americas Qualifiers, the next stage on the path to the 2027 World Cup.

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