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What’s left may very well be the most talented collection of basketball players Canada has ever had to pull from, a group that is clamouring to wear the maple leaf across their chests again. “Don’t ask stupid questions,” one prominent player replied when general manager Rowan Barrett texted to confirm he was on board for this cycle. “Of course, I am.” “The vision I give for us going forward is gold medal at the World Cup, gold at the Olympics,” Herbert said. “I’m talking to the players: are you in or are you out?”
Josh Lewenberg: To sum up NBAers in for Canada this summer: SGA, NAW, Barrett, Brooks, Dort, Nembhard bros, Mathurin, Olynyk, George, Miller Out this summer but in for this cycle: Edey, Powell Didn’t commit: Murray, Sharpe, Wiggins Committed but not selected: Lawson, Banton, Houstan, Prosper
Mark Cuban would buy back the Mavericks if he could, but he can’t. Instead, he’s invested in the Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. The size of the stake and how much he paid were not disclosed. Cuban, who still owns a stake of roughly 27% in the Mavericks, tells Front Office Sports via email that Canada is a “powerhouse” when it comes to producing top basketball talent. He says there’s “huge appetite for sports and basketball” in Canada. “I think there is a ton of upside,” he tells FOS. While much of the discussion about global basketball has centered around the rise in European stars like Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cuban says “Canada is producing more stars than any other country.”
On Wednesday afternoon, before the team left for Canada, with sights on a sweep, Strus, the battle-tested playoff veteran, said a series doesn’t start until both teams get a chance to play on the road. The series has officially begun. “We will respond. We ain’t got no other choice,” James Harden said. “We didn’t expect to win 16 games in a row. You know what I mean? Guys [are] a little frustrated, which I get it, they’re supposed to be. We’re supposed to be. But find a way to weather the storm, figure it out and be better for Game 4. It’s a part of the whole process.”
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Ryan Wolstat: Wol-stat of the day: RJ Barrett and A.J. Lawson are the fifth and sixth Canadians to play for the Raptors in the post-season. Joining Cory Joseph, Chris Boucher, Khem Birch and Dalano Banton.
Players typically begin returning to normal walking and strength exercises after about three months. From there, basketball activity is slowly reintroduced. "Even when you repair ligaments — like he had on the other side — the tissue needs time to heal," Jung said. "The bone stress also needs time to heal, and then he has to rebuild his strength." Given this timeline, it's unlikely that Edey will participate in NBA Summer League or play in the 2026 FIBA World Cup for Team Canada.
Jonas Valanciunas coming to NBA: Coming here, total different league, different culture, different language, different country and I was in Canada, now I got to adjust to Canada and then adjust to the US, so it was not the easiest thing to do but I had some people who helped me big time and I got comfortable slowly, step by step, teammates… I had Linas Kleiza with me at the Raptors. Another Lithuanian guy, he helped me a lot, put me in the right directions, translated for me. So, it was cool.
“Toronto is still in my heart,” Leonard said during a brief remark, noting that his son was born in Canada. “He’s from Canada, so we always talk about bringing him back and showing him where he was born. I just wanted to leave a blueprint out here.” A mural, which features a photo of Leonard’s iconic Game 7 buzzer beater in 2019, was also unveiled.
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Given the statistical company he's keeping alongside the Raptors' leap in the standings this season, Darko Rajaković appealed to Canadian basketball fans to rectify the situation and vote Scottie Barnes into his second All-Star Game on Feb. 15 in Los Angeles. "And we need to get this right," said Rajaković. "Canada needs to get this right. Starts with us. Starts with our city. Starts with our country over here. We have 40 million people living in this country, 40 million fans of (the) Toronto Raptors." "Canada we need to get this fixed right now," he added.
Iman Shumpert: All in or all out; we will not have an American MVP for the next five years. Nate Robinson: Oh, that’s… I'm all in on that. I'm gonna tell you right now. Why? Because you got all the Canadians balling, you got the Greek Freak, you got Joker. I don't think there's going to be an American MVP in a while. Shumpert: So no Cade Cunningham, no Anthony Edwards. Robinson: They’ll have to deal with Wemby. I want Edwards to win, but if they play like the World versus USA, I feel like they have the upper hand right now.
We also asked him for his opinion on the All-Star Game, where this year Team USA will play against Team World. The NBA’s goal is to make the game itself more interesting. “I hope that’s true, but I’m skeptical it will happen. It would be great for the All-Star Game if Team World won. But I’ve given up on the All-Star Game. I don’t go anymore. Last year I didn’t even watch it. I couldn’t tell you a single thing that happened in last year’s All-Star Game. If the Americans play at full intensity and the World—basically Europeans and Canadians—play at full strength and the World wins, that would be great. I think the NBA would secretly love for the World to win, so there’d be a little shame among the Americans. But my problem is that I know there actually wouldn’t be any shame. When it comes to an exhibition game, Americans are just there to have fun.”
TSN: Reigning NBA and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins the Northern Star Award as Canada’s top athlete of the year! 🌟 It is Shai’s second time winning the award, first was in 2023.
