Gilas prospects Malick Diouf, Elizabeth Means gain PH citizenship

Gilas Pilipinas players Malick Diouf and Elizabeth Means have been granted Filipino citizenships. –SBP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Basketball players Malick’ Diouf and Elizabeth Jeanette Means were officially granted Filipino citizenship after the measures concerning their naturalization lapsed into law on May 18.

Republic Act No. 12318 and Republic Act No. 12319, which officially made Diouf and Means Filipino citizens, give them all the rights and responsibilities outlined in the Constitution and laws of the Philippines.

READ: Senate grants PH citizenship to Gilas prospects Diouf, Means

Six-foot-eleven Diouf, who was born in Dakar, Senegal, is being considered for inclusion in the Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 pool.

He flew to the Philippines in 2018 after accepting an athletic scholarship from Centro Escolar University and was later recruited by the University of the Philippines.

Diouf helped the Fighting Maroons clinch the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 men’s basketball title in 2022, and was also hailed as the Most Valuable Player in UAAP Season 85.

READ: Malick Diouf yearns for PBA stint 

Meanwhile, six-foot Means is eyeing a stint with the Gilas Pilipinas Women’s national team.

She was born and raised in the United States, while her grandfather was born in Naga, Camarines Sur.