Since beating United States at the Men's Basketball World Cup last year to show the world what they are capable of, Canada has ushered in the best golden era in team history.
With Canada winning their first medal at the World Cup, they also qualified for the Olympic Games in France. This is Canada's first Olympic qualification in more than 20 years!
Now, the Paris Olympics are in full swing, and Canada has just beaten Australia, improved their group stage record to 2-0, and has secured a ticket to the quarterfinals. If Canada can make it past the quarter-finals, it will be their best Olympic result since 1936!
Tiger fathers have no dog sons
Entering the golden age of basketball in Canada, let's talk about RJ · Barrett, the representative of the tiger father without a dog.
RJ has been a regular on the Canada national team since he was a child. His father, Ron · Barrett, also wore the number nine jersey for his country at the Sydney Olympics 24 years ago. As for RJ, since joining the U19 team, he has written his own legend in the Canada team. In 2019, he led Canada Under-19s to World Cup glory and was also named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Now, after so many years, RJ has also worn his father's jersey number at the France Olympics to help Canada move forward. He said it meant a lot to him to be able to wear his father's shirt number and represent his country. And RJ's performance really added to the Canada team, and he scored 47 points on 27 shooting in the first two games, which was quite good.
Canada's star up-and-coming power
The Canada national team ushered in a golden era of development, and it all began in 2022, when players needed to make a three-year long-term commitment to the national team.
That long-term commitment has helped attract players like Shay · Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal · Murray and Dillon · Brooks. After Canada missed out on the Tokyo Olympics, the national team made a request for this long-term commitment. Some players, including Andrew · Wiggins and Zach · Eddy, have not been able to make that commitment.
However, with Canada's successful qualification for the Paris Olympics, both players were offered a chance to be selected for the national team. Unfortunately, Wiggins was not included in the national team due to the Warriors' block.
There are now more Canada in the NBA than ever before.
In addition to players who have joined the national team, there are many up-and-coming young Canada stars who also play in the NBA. Zach · Eddy had made a three-year commitment to the Canada national team, but he chose not to compete in France because he was drafted this year. Eddie was drafted by the Grizzlies with a ninth-place finish in the draft and has dominated the college game for the past two seasons. Eddie's addition will be of great benefit to the Canada national team's frontcourt lineup.
In recent years, more and more Canada have entered the draft lotto zone, with Benedict · Mathurin and Shaedon · Sharpe being selected with the sixth and seventh picks respectively in 2022. They have both played for Canada, with Mathurin representing Canada Under-19 and Sharpe representing Under-16.
With as many as 28 players currently Canada playing in the NBA, and with Alexander, an MVP-caliber player, Canada national team will be a formidable force on the global stage for many years to come.
#寻找热爱表达的你#