Olympic basketball Canada men basketball lineup included a record ten NBA players

Olympic basketball : Canada Olympic men’s basketball squad since 2000 has ten current NBA players, a record for any country other than the United States.

The club is led by a backcourt duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, an All-NBA First Teamer 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).

Khem Birch and Melvin Ejim, who both play professionally in Spain, are also on the roster.

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

Two well-known Canadians are not on the squad.

Andrew Wiggins, a 2022 NBA All-Star for the Golden State Warriors, allegedly withdrew from consideration in a decision involving the Warriors.

Zach Edey, the NCAA Player of the Year at Purdue, elected to focus on his NBA rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies over pursuing an Olympic place.

Canada last qualified for the Olympics in 2000, when it had two NBA players: future MVP Steve Nash and center Todd MacCulloch.

Last September, a Canadian team coached by Gilgeous-Alexander defeated the United States in the FIBA World Cup bronze medal game. It was Canada’s first worldwide medal in men’s basketball since finishing second in the first Olympic basketball event in 1936.

Canada begins the Paris Olympic competition on July 27 in Lille against Greece, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo.Canada Olympic