Canadian Players Making Mark in NBA
In a country where soccer and ice hockey dominate the landscape, basketball has historically struggled to get much exposure in Canada.
The NBA hosted its inaugural game between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knicks in November 1946, but the sport failed to find favour with fans. The Huskies disbanded after just one season and it was nearly 50 years before the league dipped its toe back into the Canadian sports market. The Toronto Raptors have since established themselves as a bona-fide franchise, and famously upset the NBA odds to win the championship in 2019.
Despite that success, Canadian-born players remain something of a rarity in the big league, with just 29 on NBA rosters at the start of the 2022/23 pre-season. While that is a significant improvement on the tally of four who were active players in 2010, it highlights that basketball remains a fringe sport in Canada. Nova Scotia’s Will Njoku understands more than most how tough it can be for Canadian players to make a name for themselves in the NBA. Njoku was chosen 41st overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 1994 NBA Draft, but subsequently failed to make a single appearance for the club. He forged a reasonably successful career for himself in Europe and also represented his country at World Championship tournaments. Njoku has kept a close eye on the NBA since retiring from playing and believes greater connectivity is helping to create new opportunities for young Canadians seeking professional opportunities. “There’s just so many people talking about it now – so many platforms where people can discover you,” Njoku told Betway. “Back then, if you didn’t have a tape circulating or the connections to get your name out there, you wouldn’t have been known. “Now, if you’re 12 to 14 years old and you’ve got potential, you’re going to be discovered somehow. With these bigger platforms like social and digital media to showcase yourself, it’s easier. “I also think the talent has grown tremendously, because there are so many more kids playing now and so many more resources available to help them become better players and athletes. “More people playing with more skill means better competition, and more competition only continues to push the game forward.”
One of the biggest Canadian stars in basketball at the moment is Andrew Wiggins, who became just the eighth man from his country to win an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors last season. Jamal Murray is another Canadian native tipped to make his mark this term as he returns to the Denver Nuggets’ line-up following a serious knee injury. Montreal-born Bennedict Mathurin is also worth keeping an eye on after being selected sixth overall by the Pacers in this year’s Draft.
Njoku believes the growing presence of Canadian players in the NBA will inspire others to take up the sport and has backed more to make their mark over the coming years. “I felt like this wave of Canadian NBA talent would come, but I didn’t expect it to happen as quickly as it did,” Njoku added. “I think it took a few players to prove themselves and then the hesitation from NBA teams stopped, they started saying ‘I’m going to take player X from Canada because they can play’. The number started to grow, and those players have continuously showed out in the NBA. “At one point France had the second-most NBA players in the world but now we do – and I can’t see anyone catching us.
“It won’t be long until we don’t even think about the fact that we have Canadians in the NBA, they’re just going to be players.”