Olympic basketball Canada men team included a record eleven NBA players

Olympic basketball :Olympic basketball Canada last qualified for the Olympics in 2000, with two NBA players future MVP Steve Nash and center Todd MacCulloch.

Last September, a Canadian team led by Gilgeous-Alexander upset the United States in the FIBA World Cup bronze medal game. It was Canada’s first international medal in men’s basketball since coming second in the first Olympic basketball tournament in 1936.

On July 27, Canada will face Greece, headed by Giannis Antetokounmpo, in Lille as part of the Paris Olympics.

Canada’s first Olympic men’s basketball team since 2000 has eleven active NBA players, a record for a nation other than the United States.

The club is captained by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, an All-NBA First Team member for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Jamal Murray, the point guard for the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

The other NBA players are Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Minnesota Timberwolves), R.J. Barrett (Toronto Raptors), Dillon Brooks (Houston Rockets), Luguentz Dort (Thunder), Trey Lyles (Sacramento Kings), Andrew Nembhard (Indiana Pacers), Kelly Olynyk (Raptors), and Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks).

The roster also includes Khem Birch and Melvin Ejim, both of whom play professionally in Spain.

Canada will break Nigeria’s record for the most NBA players on a non-American Olympic team, which was established in Tokyo with eight.

Two well-known Canadians are not on the roster.

Andrew Wiggins, a 2022 NBA All-Star for the Golden State Warriors, reportedly withdrew from consideration in a Warriors-related move.

Zach Edey, the NCAA Player of the Year at Purdue, chose to concentrate on his NBA rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies over chasing an Olympic spot. Olympic basketball