Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots over Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) in the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sarah Phipps)
TORONTO – Another year, another record set for Canadians in the NBA.
Canada set a new mark with 27 players on an NBA roster for the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign. It’s the 10th straight season Canada has been the most represented country in the league outside the United States.
The 27 represents a four-player increase from the start of last season.
Two Canadians were drafted in June – Olivier-Maxence Prosper by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round and Leonard Miller by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round before being moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The list is headlined by first-team all-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, guard Jamal Murray of the defending champion Denver Nuggets and all-star forward Andrew Wiggins of the 2022 champion Golden State Warriors.
It also includes budding young stars Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers and Shaedon Sharpe of the Portland Trail Blazers, who were drafted with back-to-back picks early in the first round back in 2022.
The Toronto Raptors have one Canadian on their roster in Montreal’s Chris Boucher.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2023.
