'I'm ready to give everything': Bryce Cotton named for Boomers debut after five-year citizenship battle

A five-year fight to represent Australia has finally paid off for six-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton, with the star guard named to debut for the Boomers.

Cotton will don the green and gold jersey for the first time in July when he joins the Boomers for their FIBA World Cup qualifying games against Guam and the Philippines.

The 33-year-old has been carving up in the NBL over the past nine years but could not find his way into a national team due to his prolonged citizenship saga with Australia.

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An administrative error that was outside of his control saw Cotton receive a four-year ban from applying for citizenship, which cost him a spot of playing at the Olympics.

Cotton did eventually secure his citizenship last September, although the time it took for him to get to that point left him hesitant to represent Australia.

Chicago Bulls superstar Josh Giddey told Wide World of Sports last month that Cotton would bring the "offensive punch" that will be lost when Patty Mills finally ends his Boomers career.

Mills has yet to confirm what his future looks like in the international basketball landscape.

Although Cotton did concede that he had some hesitations in the past about representing Australia, he has reassured fans he is ready to commit to the jersey.

"Representing the Australian men's national basketball team for the first time is something I don't take lightly," Cotton told reporters on Thursday.

"Coming from where I come from, this opportunity means a lot to me and my family.

"Australia has embraced me from day one, and I'm grateful for the chance to wear the green and gold alongside a great group of guys.

"I'm excited, motivated, and ready to give everything I have for the country."

The two qualifying matches will be played on a court that Cotton is the king of, having starred for nine seasons on RAC Arena while representing the Perth Wildcats.

In his time at the club, he won three championships and five NBL MVP awards.

In 2025, he made the shock decision to leave the Wildcats and join the Adelaide 36ers.

"We're excited to see what Bryce looks like as part of the Boomers program," Basketball Australia's EGM of high performance Jason Smith said.

"We feel like he's a great cultural fit and obviously he has a dynamic playmaking ability which has been on display with his performances at the elite level over the last decade.

"We think he'll suit the physicality of the international format and the July window in Perth it will give us a solid look at how he integrates to the FIBA game."

Australia's first qualifying match for the 2027 FIBA World Cup will take place on Friday, July 3 against Guam. They will then face the Philippines on Monday, July 6.

The 2026/27 NBL season will be broadcast on Nine and 9Now after a new broadcast deal was announced last month.