Canada’s path to basketball glory is not over, rather just beginning
When the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Championship, it was a monumental moment for Canadian sports. More specifically, the support that their run received — highlighted by over two million people at the Championship Parade — solidified what many already knew. Basketball is as important to Canadians as any other sport.
Along with fan support from coast to coast, the number of high level basketball players coming out of Canada is continuing to climb. According to Busting Brackets, there will be 144 Division 1 NCAA College Basketball players from Canada this upcoming season. In addition, there are 24 Canadian players currently signed to an NBA team according to the NBA’s official rosters, 2nd behind the United States.
In late August, Team Canada travelled to China to compete in the FIBA World Cup. A good showing would have them in prime positioning for a spot in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Surely, Canada’s plethora of talented players would show up and compete for a medal.
Cory Joseph and Khem Birch were the only two NBA-level Canadians to play in the tournament. They finished 21st in the 32 team field.
Levon Kendall is a 10-year veteran of the Canadian National Team program. He competed in 13 events for the red and white, including the same FIBA World Cup back in 2010. The lack of talent on Canada’s roster surprised him.
“It’s hard to know what their reasons are,” said Kendall, “To me I’m a little bit baffled because in a lot of ways they have it way easier than us.”
Back in Kendall’s day, games were rarely televised. Most of the players played in Europe, and relished the chance to be back home. Perhaps, that attitude played a factor in their willingness to commit to Team Canada.
“What we were representing was pretty unique, it’s not the same type of camaraderie on a professional team,” said Kendall, “There’s not the same pride to represent the country, which I can’t really relate to, it’s a bit odd to me.”
William Lou has a different perspective. As a basketball writer for Yahoo Sports Canada, he follows these Canadian NBA’ers with a detailed eye. Unlike Kendall, who sees the dilemma from the first person, Lou sees it from an exterior point of view.
“For some people, they didn’t see the program this year as being worth the commitment, basically committing a third of their offseason,” said Lou, “Many of them just came from the draft, and it’s a tough ask to get those players. I’m sure this is the pinnacle of the career to make it to the league, and for those guys to make a commitment is kind of unreasonable.”
To Lou’s point, of the 24 Canadians signed to an NBA roster, 11 of them will be rookies this season. The most notable of the bunch is 3rd overall pick, RJ Barrett. He cited a mild calf strain as the reason for his declined invitation, along with preparing for his rookie season.
RJ’s father, Rowan, played in 9 FIBA events, including a few with Kendall, who expects RJ to be a mainstay in future tournaments.
“RJ will be a great ambassador for the team,” said Kendall, “He was running around as a ball boy when I was playing, and his dad has obviously instilled that same pride and commitment to the basketball program.”
Lou has similar thoughts about Canada Basketball’s potential leader of the future.
“I think he’s a prideful guy,” said Lou, “From all the indications, he’s shown an enthusiasm for playing for team Canada and really embraces that part of his brand.”
For all the optimism and hope from a country who’s love for basketball is at an all-time high, the disappointing finish at the World Cup is a major step back. Still, Kendall and Lou believe that the program is on a path to success, even if that success is more difficult than first anticipated.
“Canada Basketball is in that stage where they need to wind up a bunch of other things,” said Lou, “I think the pipeline for talent isn’t going anywhere, if they can grow the infrastructure.”
“Obviously a bunch of talent doesn’t equal success,” said Kendall, “And that’s been proven in lots of sports on many occasions, but I think all of the pieces are there.”
With the poor result this month, the Olympics seem quite unlikely for Canada. However, with many talented, young Canadians led by Barrett, the 2023 FIBA World Cup may sing a different tune.
The scene in Downtown Toronto as the Raptors won the NBA Championship was electric. They had only one player from Canada on their roster.
The same result for a fully Canadian team, could surpass it.
