Perth Wildcats star Bryce Cotton hits out at government after citizenship ban is extended amid excess travel

Disillusioned Perth Wildcats superstar Bryce Cotton has hit out at the Australian government after his four-year ban from applying for citizenship was extended, declaring becoming naturalised is no longer on his priority list. Cotton’s four-year ban from applying for citizenship ended on Sunday morning, but The West Australian revealed last week that he has been hit with an extension until at least May 28 because he spent more than 90 days outside of Australia in the last 12 months. That date will be pushed back further if Cotton travels overseas in the next two months. Cotton won his fifth NBL MVP award two weeks ago and set a Wildcats record on Saturday night when he won his seventh Gordon Ellis Medal as the club’s MVP. Cotton usually travels back to America to see his family and train during the off-season and still intends to be back in the US by mid-April. He said there was no point changing his life to become naturalised. “As far as I’m concerned, they can keep it. If it’s taken all this, they can keep it,” Cotton told The West Australian. “I’m a permanent resident so I am blessed with that to where if I want to stay in Australia, I don’t have to leave because I’m a permanent resident. I have got that going for me and my family so I can still live the life I want to live. “My life is way more important. I’m going home. For me it is pure comedy at this point. You can’t help but laugh. I’m going to continue to live my life and I won’t let that impact how I live it. “I’ll probably be around for a little bit waiting for the little one to have her school holiday. I think that’s in April. Some time in April I will take off.” Cotton’s citizenship dramas began during 2020 when the government told him his Distinguished Talent Visa had been approved but the laws required him to travel overseas for the paperwork to be finalised. Australia’s borders were closed at the time amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Five months later, he was told he could get his visa by attending a meeting in Melbourne, but the superstar was unaware when he signed the document that it would prevent him from applying for citizenship for four years. Attempts to get the ban overturned so he could play for Australia at the Olympics were halted after Basketball Australia learnt they had to guarantee him a spot in the final team before they could submit a request for government assistance. Cotton also unsuccessfully took the Federal government to court during 2023. Cotton’s contract with the Wildcats expires at the end of this season and he is yet to make a decision on where he will play next. Being an Australian would allow the Wildcats to sign him as a marquee player instead of an import and that would slash a large portion of his wage from the salary cap. But the NBL’s biggest name has lost faith in the system and no longer considers citizenship to be a priority. “I’m not saying I won’t apply but it doesn’t matter to me. What I want out of this country, I’ve already got,” he said. “If I don’t want to leave the country, I don’t have to because I’m a permanent resident. For all the hula hoops that I’ve had to go through, its pretty comical. If it’s that big a deal to them, keep it because I’m sure once I lodge (an application), they will come up with something else. They can do whatever they want to do. I don’t care.”