Basketball fans in Canada are already winners
Even if the Toronto Raptors lose in the NBA Finals, Canada is already a winner in the game of basketball
Regardless of who wins the NBA Finals, basketball fans in Canada have already won.
During the commercial break from the first to the second quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Toronto Raptors honored several players from their team’s history. It was a tribute of their first 24 seasons while celebrating their first NBA Finals appearance.
The honorees included Chris Bosh, Charles Oakley, Dell Curry, Tracy McGrady, Muggsy Bogues, Isiah Thomas (the Raptors first general manager) and their first-ever draft pick, Damon Stoudamire. One notable absence was Vince Carter.
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Perhaps there could be some tampering related issues involved since Carter is still an active player as well as a free agent. Maybe Toronto wanted to avoid the fine that Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers incurred last week in regards to comments made by Rivers involved Raptors player and pending free agent Kawhi Leonard. But more on Carter later.
Before the Raptors became relevant, NBA talent from Canada was sparse and less than spectacular. Notable players from the Great White North include Montreal native Bill Wennington, 4.6 points and three rebounds per game for his career, but he was a three-time NBA Champion with the Chicago Bulls from 1996-1998. Also, Rick Fox from Toronto who averaged nearly 10 points, four rebounds and three assists over 13 seasons. He also won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The biggest star from Canada would have been Steve Nash. Nash was raised in Regina, Saskatchewan as well as Victoria, British Columbia. In his 19 seasons in the league, he was named MVP twice, an eight-time all-star and was named to the All-NBA team seven times.
The Raptors presence in Toronto, as well as their popularity across Canada, has brought in new and rising stars who are making names for themselves south of the border. Anothy Bennett and Andrew Wiggins were back-to-back No. 1picks in the NBA draft in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a solid rookie season for the Clippers which included averaging 11 points and three assists while leading his team to the postseason as well as participation in the 2019 Rising Stars Challenge game. Jamal Murray, of the Denver Nuggets, had a stellar playoff run in 2019. He averaged 21 points in 14 playoff games, including back to back 34 point performances against the Portland Trail Blazers in their second-round matchup.
These Canadians along with NBA veterans Nik Stauskas, Kelly Olynyk, Trey Lyles, Dwight Powell along with NBA champions Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson are examples of the continuing pipeline of players that are being developed in Canada for future NBA rosters.
There’s also much to look forward to with the upcoming FIBA World Cup of Basketball in September from China. Canada could boast a projected starting five of Joseph, Murray, Wiggins, Olynyk, and Thompson. Along with a bench including Gilgeous-Alexander, Powell, Stauskas and projected top three NBA draft pick RJ Barrett of Duke.
Team Canada will be coached by the current Raptor coach Nick Nurse, who is the fifth rookie coach in NBA history to lead a team to the NBA Finals.
But while those previously mentioned Raptors alumnus, helped to build a solid fan base throughout Canada, there was one player who truly WAS the face on basketball in Canada, Vince Carter. Carter was the first bona fide superstar for Toronto.
From winning NBA rookie of the year in 1998 to leading the Raptors to their first playoff appearance in 1999 to his iconic dunk at the 2000 NBA all-star weekend slam-dunk contest, Carter was “Air Canada”, “Vinsanity” and “Half-man, half-amazing”. Carter announced last month that he will return for a 22nd NBA season. Perhaps a return to Toronto seems most appropriate.
If nothing else, one other exciting element involving basketball in Canada. The emergence of Drake. There are those in the league and the media who believe his antics are a little over the top. Coupled with Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia, they are the most exciting sideline fans in the NBA since Jack Nicholson and Spike Lee.
Next. Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam has to play like a star in Game 3. dark
O Canada, even if you are not the NBA champions this year, you have already won.