Report: Clippers' Kaman is German citizen

Detroit -- LA Clippers center Chris Kaman has obtained citizenship in Germany and will play for its men's basketball Olympic qualifying team, a newspaper report said.

A report by the Detroit News Thursday said that the 7-foot Kaman, a former collegian at Central Michigan University, will join Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki later this month when Germany attempts to qualify for its first Olympics since the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Kaman's grandparents are German.

The German team is practicing at home for a warm-up tournament before it travels to Greece for the July 14-20 qualifying event in Athens.

"Chris is a significant addition and we'll now have to integrate him in time for the Athens tournament," Coach Dirk Bauermann told the newspaper.

"We'll be stronger under the baskets with Chris," Nowitzki said.

Last season, Kaman averaged 15.7 points and 12.7 rebounds last season for the Clippers.

He was a first-round pick by the Clippers in the 2003 NBA draft.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.