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Canada’s basketball rise hits a new peak with NBA All-Star Game Canada’s basketball rise hits a new peak with NBA All-Star Game
(about 5 hours later)
TORONTO — Toronto Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri stood in bowels of the Bell Centre in Montreal as roars from a capacity crowd a few hundred feet away drowned out his voice. The boisterous fans were not there to watch the city’s beloved Canadiens. TORONTO — Toronto Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri stood in the bowels of the Bell Centre in Montreal as roars from a capacity crowd a few hundred feet away drowned out his voice. But the boisterous fans were not there to watch the city’s beloved Canadiens; hockey, the sport synonymous with Canada, was absent on this night. They were there instead to watch the Raptors, the country’s only NBA team. Not only that, but it was late October, before the games even counted, and the Raptors were merely concluding their preseason schedule — which included stops in four Canadian cities — against the Washington Wizards.
Hockey, the sport synonymous with Canada, was absent on this night. They were there to watch the Raptors, the country’s only NBA team. Not only that, it was late October, before the games even counted, and the Raptors were concluding their preseason schedule — which included stops in four Canadian cities — against the Washington Wizards. “The support has really picked up,” Ujiri said. “There’s a strong following, and that’s why we’ve kind of traveled around the country. We hope to keep growing as a team, and I think you can see the support is growing around the country.”
“The support has really picked up,” Ujiri said. “There’s a strong following and that’s why we’ve kind of traveled around the country. We hope to keep growing as a team and I think you can see the support is growing around the country.” Canada has a long basketball history. James Naismith hailed from Ontario and attended and taught at McGill University in Montreal before inventing the sport south of the border in 1891. The first NBA game, on Nov. 1, 1946, was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knicks. And Steve Nash, raised in British Columbia, won two MVP awards with the Phoenix Suns, revolutionizing the point guard position in the mid-2000s.
Canada has a long basketball history. James Naismith hailed from Ontario and attended and taught at McGill University in Montreal before inventing the sport south of the border in 1891. The first NBA game, on Nov. 1, 1946, was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knicks. Steve Nash, raised in British Columbia, won two MVP awards with the Phoenix Suns and revolutionized the point guard position in the mid-2000s. But never before has Canadian basketball boomed like today. Twelve players from Canada are on NBA rosters, more than any country besides the United States, and all but one — Detroit Pistons center Joel Anthony — are younger than 27. The nation’s basketball moment comes this weekend, when Toronto will host the NBA’s first all-star game held outside the United States.
But never has Canadian basketball boomed like today. Twelve Canadians are on NBA rosters, more than any country besides the United States; all but one – Detroit Pistons center Joel Anthony – are younger than 25. The nation’s basketball moment comes into focus this weekend, when Toronto will host the NBA’s first all-star game held outside the United States. [Wall will play in All-Star Game despite injuring right knee vs. Bucks]
[Wall unsure if he’ll play in All-Star Game after injuring right knee vs. Bucks] “It’s definitely evolved,” said Jamaal Magloire, a Toronto native and a 12-year NBA player . “It’s come a long way. It’s just totally taken off.”
“It’s definitely evolved,” Jamaal Magloire, a Toronto native and 12-year NBA veteran, said. “It’s come a long way. It’s just totally taken off.” Now a Raptors assistant coach, Magloire, 37, was a senior in high school when the Raptors, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, joined the NBA as expansion franchises for the 1995-96 season. Basketball was prominent in Toronto before NBA, he said, but resources and facilities were scarce. He played outside in the dead of brutal winters. There wasn’t an AAU team in Toronto, so Magloire — a 6-foot-11 center — joined clubs in Buffalo and Seattle before he went on to the University of Kentucky. In 2004 he became the second Canadian, after Nash, to be named an NBA all-star.
Now a Raptors assistant coach, Magloire, 37, was a senior in high school when the Raptors, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, joined the NBA as expansion franchises for the 1995-96 season. Basketball was prominent in Toronto pre-NBA, he said, but resources and facilities were scarce. He played outside in the dead of brutal winters. There wasn’t an AAU team in Toronto so Magloire — a 6-foot-11 center — joined clubs in Buffalo and Seattle before he went on to the University of Kentucky and became the second Canadian to be named an NBA all-star in 2004.
Two decades later, basketball courts dot the city, Canada’s grassroots programs are flourishing, and there’s even a D-League team in the Toronto suburbs. An eight-team domestic pro league, the National Basketball League of Canada, was founded in 2011.Two decades later, basketball courts dot the city, Canada’s grassroots programs are flourishing, and there’s even a D-League team in the Toronto suburbs. An eight-team domestic pro league, the National Basketball League of Canada, was founded in 2011.
An influx of Canadian talent is entering the American college and professional ranks. The country produced consecutive No. 1 overall draft picks — Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins — in 2013 and 2014 and 13 selections overall in the past five drafts. Jamal Murray, a 6-4 guard from Kitchener, Ontario, leads Kentucky with 18.5 points per game as a freshman this season. An influx of Canadian talent is entering the American college and professional ranks. The country produced consecutive No. 1 overall draft picks — Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins — in 2013 and 2014 and 13 selections overall in the past five drafts. Jamal Murray, a 6-4 guard from Kitchener, Ontario, is averaging a team-high 18.5 points for No. 22 Kentucky as a freshman.
More top-flight prospects are projected to filter through the NCAA ranks, partly a product of immigration reform that allowed more than 2 million people to enter Canada between 1996 and 2006. More than 1 million immigrants settle in Canada every four years, and basketball trails only soccer in popularity among first-generation Canadian children, according to a 2014 study by Solutions Research Group, a Toronto-based consumer research firm. One of those new Canadians, Thon Maker, who grew up in Sudan and Australia, attends high school in Ontario and is among the most coveted prospects in the American college recruiting class of 2016.More top-flight prospects are projected to filter through the NCAA ranks, partly a product of immigration reform that allowed more than 2 million people to enter Canada between 1996 and 2006. More than 1 million immigrants settle in Canada every four years, and basketball trails only soccer in popularity among first-generation Canadian children, according to a 2014 study by Solutions Research Group, a Toronto-based consumer research firm. One of those new Canadians, Thon Maker, who grew up in Sudan and Australia, attends high school in Ontario and is among the most coveted prospects in the American college recruiting class of 2016.
[NBA marches closer to putting ads on jerseys][NBA marches closer to putting ads on jerseys]
The wave traces back to the Raptors’ inception. The wave, Magloire says, traces back to the Raptors’ inception.
“The fact that the Raptors are here now in town, it’s just changed the whole dynamic of the game in Canada,” said Magloire, who didn’t attend a Raptors game until he played against them as a rookie with the Charlotte Hornets in 2000. “They had a tremendous impact. It gave all of us in the inner city hopes and aspirations of becoming a Toronto Raptor someday. Canadian basketball wouldn’t be like what it is without the Raptors.”“The fact that the Raptors are here now in town, it’s just changed the whole dynamic of the game in Canada,” said Magloire, who didn’t attend a Raptors game until he played against them as a rookie with the Charlotte Hornets in 2000. “They had a tremendous impact. It gave all of us in the inner city hopes and aspirations of becoming a Toronto Raptor someday. Canadian basketball wouldn’t be like what it is without the Raptors.”
The Raptors became the Canada’s lone NBA franchise when the Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001 and have executed a concerted effort to mobilize the country’s 35 million people behind them in recent years. The Raptors became Canada’s lone NBA franchise when the Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001 and have executed a concerted effort to mobilize the country’s 35 million people behind them in recent years.
“It’s somewhat of an identity, being the only team outside of the United States,” said Ujiri, whose Raptors (35-17) sit in second place in the Eastern Conference standings and will have two players — DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry — in Sunday’s All-Star Game. “I think before it was perceived more on the negative side but I think the positive sides are coming out. It’s one team, one country, and that makes a difference.” “It’s somewhat of an identity, being the only team outside of the United States,” said Ujiri, whose Raptors (35-17) sit in second place in the Eastern Conference and will have two players — DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry — in Sunday’s All-Star Game. “Before, it was perceived more on the negative side, but the positive sides are coming out. It’s one team, one country, and that makes a difference.”
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Raptors games are broadcast from coast to coast. In 2013, the team named hip-hop star Drake, a native of Toronto, as its global ambassador. Two springs ago, just before the start of the playoffs, the organization launched the “#WeTheNorth” social media campaign targeting the entire country. Their uniforms, redesigned before this season, no longer include the word Toronto and their dominant colors are red and white, after the national flag. Raptors games are broadcast from coast to coast. In 2013, the team named hip-hop star Drake, a native of Toronto, as its global ambassador. In the spring of 2014, just before the start of the playoffs, the organization launched its “#WeTheNorth” social media campaign, targeting the entire country. The Raptors’ uniforms, redesigned before this season, no longer include the word Toronto; their dominant colors are red and white, after the national flag.
“We’re on the map with Canadians as Canada’s team,” said Jennifer Hosford, vice president of marketing and communications for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the Raptors’ ownership group. “We’re on the map with Canadians as Canada’s team,” said Shannon Hosford, vice president of marketing and communications for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the Raptors’ ownership group.
The Raptors, who have two Canadians on their roster, Anthony Bennett and Cory Joseph, have held training camp and played preseason games in various cities in Canada throughout the years with marketing and growth in mind. Last fall, they spent training camp more than 2,000 miles from Toronto in Vancouver and played their first preseason game there before holding exhibitions in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. The Raptors, who have two Canadians on their roster, Bennett and one-year Texas Longhorn Cory Joseph, have held training camp and played preseason games across Canada with marketing and growth in mind. Last fall, they spent training camp more than 2,000 miles from Toronto, in Vancouver, and played their first preseason game there before holding exhibitions in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
Youth participation in basketball is soaring, but hockey remains the sport ingrained in Canadian identity, especially outside the Toronto area. Mayaz Alam, a student at McGill and rabid NBA fan, grew up in Vancouver. His first basketball memories are of the end of the Grizzlies’ stay in Canada and he believes their departure initially hurt basketball’s growth in the area because there wasn’t a team to follow. But he’s noticed interest spike in recent years as Canadians infiltrate the NBA. Youth participation in basketball is soaring, but hockey remains the sport ingrained in the Canadian identity, especially outside of the Toronto area. Mayaz Alam, a student at McGill and a rabid NBA fan who grew up in Vancouver, said his first basketball memories are of the end of the Grizzlies’ stay in Canada. Their departure, he believes, initially hurt basketball’s growth in the area because there wasn’t a team to follow, but Alam has noticed interest spike in recent years as Canadians infiltrate the NBA.
“During the FIBA Americas [Olympic qualifying] tournament last summer, when Canada went to the semis and were doing really well, you could feel sort of a palpable buzz,” said Alam, who attended the Raptors’ preseason game in Montreal. “Like, shoot, Canada is worth watching. There are players that are Canadian that are putting their stamp on the game. I think once guys like Wiggins hit their primes, you’ll start seeing people care about it more.”“During the FIBA Americas [Olympic qualifying] tournament last summer, when Canada went to the semis and were doing really well, you could feel sort of a palpable buzz,” said Alam, who attended the Raptors’ preseason game in Montreal. “Like, shoot, Canada is worth watching. There are players that are Canadian that are putting their stamp on the game. I think once guys like Wiggins hit their primes, you’ll start seeing people care about it more.”
This weekend, the country will have the opportunity to display their love for the sport when the NBA schedule comes to a halt and the league descends on its basketball mecca. This weekend, the country will have the opportunity to display its love for the sport when the NBA schedule comes to a halt and the league descends on Canada’s new basketball mecca.
“We all aspire to do well and take care of our country, and basketball is a means to that and we’re not taking that lightly,” Magloire said. “Toronto and Canada as a whole, the players, are taking it very seriously.”“We all aspire to do well and take care of our country, and basketball is a means to that and we’re not taking that lightly,” Magloire said. “Toronto and Canada as a whole, the players, are taking it very seriously.”