5 best Canadian basketball players ever

Canada may not be known for basketball, but there have been plenty of amazing players who were born and raised in the True North. So let’s check out some of the most iconic Canadian players.

If you’re not Canadian and someone asked you “what’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of Canada?” you’re most likely not going to say basketball. You might say maple syrup, or Tim Horton’s, or that fries dish thing with the gravy and cheese all over it (it’s called poutine, if you’re wondering) or hockey. But let me tell you this: Basketball is one of the most popular sports in Canada and some remarkable pro players are from the country.

Since Canada will be turning 150 on July 1, let’s run through some of the most iconic and notable Canadian players of the game.

5. Anthony Bennett

Now, before you go off and type up a storm about how dumb this pick is (and possibly how dumb I am), give me a chance to explain.

Though Anthony Bennett, who was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, has not done anything impactful or worth remembering during his time in the NBA, he is part of the sport’s history books. Many of you may not know this, but Bennett was the first ever Canadian basketball player to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

In 2013, after Bennett played one collegiate season at UNLV, he was selected by the Cavaliers with the very first pick. However, this selection by the Cavaliers was met with a lot of criticism. Many people believed that he didn’t deserve the pick and that there were many other players who were more deserving of being drafted first overall.

His poor performance in the NBA only proved those critics to be correct. In his first season in the NBA, Bennett was not healthy enough to get the minutes that a first overall pick normally gets. Above that, he was often injured because his conditioning was not NBA-ready. In 2013-14, he only played 52 games and averaged 12.8 minutes per game.

And that’s pretty much how the rest of his NBA career went (he played another three seasons). Coaches wanted to give him a chance, but he was just not fit and healthy enough to take advantage of the opportunities. Regardless of how poorly he did in the NBA, though, he still remains in the history books as the first Canadian to experience hearing their name called out by the NBA’s commissioner following “with the first pick in this year’s draft.”