| Basketball in Canada | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Governing body | Canada Basketball |
| National team(s) | |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
Basketball in Canada dates back to the 20th century. Basketball is played year-round by men and women and various levels of competition. Several professional basketball leagues have teams based in Canada.
James Naismith, a Canadian who moved to the United States, invented basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts in the 1890s. [1] This new sport soon became popular as an indoor sport that needed a minimal equipment, gaining popularity at high schools and colleges in Canada. [2] [3]
The Toronto Huskies were co-founders of the Basketball Association of America, a forerunner of the NBA, but disbanded after the first season.
In Canada, the sport has long lived in the shadow of ice hockey, but in the early 21st century the sport saw a rise in popularity, partly due to the Toronto Raptors, an expansion National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise established in 1995. [2] [4] [5] [6] [7] The Vancouver Grizzlies was another NBA expansion franchise that was based in Vancouver, British Columbia from 1995 to 2001, when it was relocated to Memphis, Tennessee.
The National Basketball League was played for one and a half seasons in 1993 and 1994.
In 2011, a new domestic league was formed, the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada), with the London Lightning won its first two national titles. NBL Canada presently operate 10 franchises throughout Canada. The league was the first fully domestic professional basketball league to operate in Canada since the National Basketball League, which operated from 1993 to 1994.
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is a professional tier 1 basketball league which began play in 2019 season.
The Toronto Raptors won their first NBA championship in 2019, the first champion outside of the United States.
Students in Canada may participate in varsity basketball teams in colleges and universities throughout Canada. U Sports is the national sports governing body for university sports in Canada, whereas the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association is the national governing body for colleges. [8] [9] The winners of U Sports' annual men's basketball championship are awarded the W. P. McGee Trophy, whereas the winners of the women's annual basketball championship are awarded the Bronze Baby trophy. Growing numbers of Canadian men and women play college basketball in the United States' National Collegiate Athletic Association. [10]
Presently, only one team in the NBA is based in Canada, the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors also operate a minor league professional team, the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. Both Raptors franchises are based in the Greater Toronto Area. In addition to the NBA, there are three other professional basketball leagues which have a team based in Canada, the National Basketball League of Canada, Canadian Elite Basketball League, and the American Basketball Association.
However, a number of Canadians play in the NBA including Chris Boucher, Andrew Wiggins, Brandon Clarke, Chris Duarte, Cory Joseph, Dalano Banton, Dillon Brooks, Dwight Powell, Ignas Brazdeikis, Jamal Murray, Joshua Primo, Kelly Olynyk, Khem Birch, Lindell Wigginton, Luguentz Dort, Oshae Brissett, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Nik Stauskas, RJ Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Trey Lyles, and Tristan Thompson. In addition, four Canadians are playing in the Women's National Basketball Association including Adut Bulgak, Kayla Alexander, Kia Nurse, and Natalie Achonwa. [11] Canadian collegiate athletes playing basketball may choose to play professionally overseas after university or college. [12] In addition, there are several Canadians playing professionally for various professional basketball organizations throughout North America. The most prominent player is Steve Nash, 2-time NBA Most Valuable Player and 2-time FIBA AmeriCup Most Valuable Player.
Notable Canadians in the Women's National Basketball Association include Tammy Sutton-Brown, Kayla Alexander, Stacey Dales, Natalie Achonwa and Adut Bulgak.
Canada has competed in a number of international competitions contested by national teams, most notably the Summer Olympics, and tournaments organized by FIBA, including the Basketball World Cup, and the Women's Basketball World Cup.
The Canadian men's national basketball team has made nine appearances at the Summer Olympic basketball tournament, winning silver at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The men's national team has also made 13 appearances to the FIBA World Cup. The Canadian women's national basketball team have made six appearances to the Summer Olympics, and 10 to the Women's World Cup. The women's national team won bronze in the 1979 and 1986 Women's World Cup tournaments.
In addition to the national team, Canada Basketball also manages a number of youth teams, including the women's under-17, men's under-17, women's under-19, and the men's under-19 teams.
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball through the defender's hoop, while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line, when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two or three one-point free throws. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but if regulation play expires with the score tied, an additional period of play (overtime) is mandated.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams. It is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional basketball league in the world.
Sports in Canada consist of a wide variety of games. The roots of organized sports in Canada date back to the 1770s, culminating in the development and popularization of the major professional games of ice hockey, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, soccer, football and cricket. Canada's official national sports are ice hockey and lacrosse. Golf, baseball, tennis, skiing, ringette, badminton, cricket, volleyball, cycling, swimming, bowling, rugby union, canoeing, equestrian, squash, and the study of martial arts are widely enjoyed at the youth and amateur levels. Great achievements in Canadian sports are recognized by Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, while the Lou Marsh Trophy is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete by a panel of journalists. There are numerous other Sports Halls of Fame in Canada.
Nicholas David Nurse is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as head coach for the Toronto Raptors, whom he led to an NBA championship in 2019 and with whom he was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 2020.
Sports in Montreal have played a major role in the city's history. Montreal is best known for being home to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League, which are currently the city's only team in the Big Four sports leagues.
Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines, played on both the amateur and professional levels.
The city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has a long history of sport. It is home to a number of clubs, including the Granite Club, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, the Argonaut Rowing Club, Toronto Argonauts football club, the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club, and the Badminton and Racquet Club. A number of heritage venues have developed in Toronto such as: Christie Pits, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Varsity Arena, and Maple Leaf Gardens. Toronto is also the location of the Canadian Football League's headquarters.
Rowan Alexander Barrett Sr. is a Canadian former professional basketball player. At a height of 1.98 m (6'6") tall, he played at the shooting guard and small forward positions. He was the top scorer in the 2002 Israel Basketball Premier League. He is general manager of the Canadian men's national team.
Chris Finch is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was previously an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Naismith Cup was an annual pre-season National Basketball Association (NBA) exhibition game. From the 1995 season through 2000, it was played between the two Canadian NBA rivals, the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies, at neutral venues across Canada. The cup was named after James Naismith, the Canadian inventor of basketball, and was originally created to raise money for Canada Basketball, similar to the Pearson Cup competition between Canada's Major League Baseball teams the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos. Following the Grizzlies relocation to Memphis the cup was laid dead, though the Raptors continued the tradition of hosting neutral site pre-season games in Canadian cities under the NBA Canada Series name. The Raptors won the series against Vancouver 4–1.
There are professional teams based in Canada in several professional sports leagues. The National Hockey League currently has seven Canadian franchises and is the most popular professional sports league in Canada. The Canadian Football League is the only all-Canadian major professional sports league. Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, and the Professional Women's Hockey League also have Canadian teams.
Cory Ephram Joseph is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the point guard position and is also the captain of the Canadian national team.
Natalie Chioma Achonwa is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team. Achonwa was born in Toronto, Ontario, started playing basketball in Guelph, Ontario, and is 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) tall.
The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fine Foods Centre, replacing the Centre's former basketball tenant, the Mississauga Power of the National Basketball League of Canada. The team regularly plays approximately 2-4 home games at the Scotiabank Arena, the home of their parent club, the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors 905 is the eighth NBA G League team to be owned by an NBA team and the first NBA G League team to be located outside of the United States.
Isaac Evolue Etue Bofenda Bonga is a German professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. Standing 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), he began his professional career with Skyliners Frankfurt of the Basketball Bundesliga. Born in Neuwied, Bonga represents the senior German national team in international competitions. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers and immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2018 NBA draft.
Jordan Ifeanyi Nwora is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. He plays internationally for the Nigeria men's national basketball team. Nwora won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 before being traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2023.
Duane Notice is a Canadian basketball player for the Sudbury Five of the Basketball Super League. He played college basketball for the University of South Carolina where he is the all-time leader in games played. He won the SEC Sixth Man of the Year award in 2016 and played in the 2017 Final Four. He also plays for the Canadian national team.
