WATCH: As Canada prepares to take one step closer towards the 2019 FIBA World Cup, many questions remain in why some of the country’s most talented players continue to decline the national team invite.
This past Sunday, the Canadian Men’s National basketball team treated Vancouver Island basketball fans to an entertaining and convincing win over team China. Eighteen-year-old phenom R.J. Barrett, the projected number one pick in the 2019 NBA draft, dazzled fans and demonstrated his star potential. However, many fans left Victoria’s Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre wondering about the absence of a handful of high-end Canadian NBA players. Minnesota Timberwolves star Andrew Wiggins headlined a number of Canadians who, for various reasons, declined to represent Canada at the upcoming 2019 FIBA qualifying games in Ontario.
Despite possessing the second most NBA players in the world (14), Canada currently sits 23rd in the FIBA world rankings. Canada plays the 17th-ranked Dominican Republic in Toronto on June 29 and the U.S. Virgin Islands in Ottawa on July 2.
Kevin Charach
