Former Knicks Guard Leads Historic Win for Team Canada

With his nation’s basketball supporters denied Olympic glory for 24 years, former New York Knicks star RJ Barrett made sure the return was well worth the wait.

Repping the True North’s Toronto Raptors, Barrett did a little bit of everything in Team Canada’s 86-79 victory over Greece. That showdown was the last of four games that opened men’s basketball group play at the Paris Olympics on Saturday in Lille

Canada’s debut in Group A play was its first showing in the Olympics’ men’s tournament since the 2000 Games in Sydney. That team featured Barrett’s father Rowan, who now resides in Team Canada’s front office.

Barrett helped Canada (1-0) maintain a wire-to-wire lead despite a sterling breakout game for Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee). The third pick in the 2019 draft had 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, adding four rebounds and three assists.

Barrett’s scoring output led the team and provided legendary bookends: Barrett scored the first points of the evening, Canada’s first in the Olympics since Sydney, before he capped things off with a fast break induced by a Trey Lyles (Sacramento) steal). His uncontested dunk created the final margin and ignited the Canadian celebration.

Historically, Canada has but one Olympic men’s basketball medal to its name, earning a silver at the 1936 Games in Berlin. Barrett helped the team clinch its latest Olympic berth with a third-place showing in last summer’s FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Despite its lasting deficit, Greece (0-1) lingered until the final minute, getting as close as a double but never fully overcoming the early struggles despite Antetokounmpo’s mastery. Making his first in-game appearance since enduring a calf injury that kept him out of the NBA Playoffs, Antetokounmpo scored a game-best 34 points and drew 10 of the 27 fouls charged to Canada.

His efforts nearly culminated in a fourth quarter comeback, but fellow NBA MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City) staged a 10-point run of his own, opening the final five minutes with an assist on a triple for domestic and international teammate Luguentz Dort (Oklahoma City) before scoring the last seven ahead of Barrett’s concluding dunk.

Group A men’s play resumes on Tuesday: Barrett and the Canadians face fellow group leader Australia (7:30 a.m. ET, USA) after Greece battles Spain in a de facto elimination game (5 a.m. ET, E!). Australia owns the group lead via point differential after a 92-80 triumph over the Spaniards on Saturday.

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