Canada has World Cup fever, justifiably.
Even the Canadian men’s basketball team has caught it. Houston Rockets star Dillon Brooks has already seen the surging Canadian men’s side play World Cup games in Toronto and Vancouver.
Two-time NBA MVP Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander — who has authored some inspiring Canadian sports heritage moments in his own right — has been riveted by the success of the men’s soccer team, which advanced to the Round of 16 with a breathtaking 1-0 win over South Africa in extra time on Sunday.
“Seeing the growth of that program and where it's come from in just a short amount of time, the growth of the players, it's been inspiring,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who played his share of soccer before basketball became his primary pursuit. “It's been fun and makes you proud to be Canadian.”
His cousin, Atlanta Hawks star Nickeil Alexander-Walker, doubtless spoke for a lot of late-to-the-party Canadian soccer fans when he said: “I don't know much about soccer, but I support Canada.”
They absolutely do.
The three NBA stars were speaking in downtown Toronto at the opening of training camp for the two World Cup qualifying games the Canadian men’s team is playing in Hamilton, as they host Puerto Rico on Friday, July 3rd and Jamaica on Monday, July 6th at newly renovated TD Coliseum (formerly Copps Coliseum).
They represent the core of an impressive group of Canadian basketball players that have committed to a three-year buildup to what everyone involved hopes will match and exceed their impressive showing in the last Olympic cycle, which featured a program-best bronze medal at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023 and a fifth-place finish at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Canada is currently 4-0 in qualifying for the 2027 World Cup, and performing well next August and September in Qatar is the most direct way for Canada, ranked fifth in the FIBA World Rankings, to qualify for the Olympics.
“The vision is gold (at) World Cup (and) Olympics,” said Gord Herbert, the Penticton, B.C., native who represented Canada at the 1984 Olympics as a player and more recently coached the German national team to gold at the 2023 World Cup and fourth place in Paris. “But we're still looking to qualify for the worlds. We have four days of practice, and we play.
“We're looking to build a base with player continuity over the next two to three years, and this is how we'll get to where we want to get to. With national teams it's very important, the words commitment and continuity.”
Men’s national team general manager Rowan Barrett is hoping that Canadians will rally around another chance to support the flag, with games falling on either side of Canada Soccer’s Round of 16 game scheduled for this coming Sunday.
“We need people to get out and get these tickets,” said Barrett. “We got to fill this stadium. Our players are here. We very rarely get opportunities to play in our country, and you know this is a call to our whole country here, right? I don't want to hear people saying, ‘I want our players to play, they need to show up and play’, and they come here, we don't fill the stadium, right? We're in Canada, we need to fill the stadium. There's players here that want something for their country, and their country has to want it for them too.”
In addition to Gilgeous-Alexander, Brooks and Alexander-Walker, among the other NBA regulars expected to play in Hamilton are Andrew and Ryan Nembhard (Indiana and Dallas, respectively), Keyshawn George (Washington) and Leonard Miller (Chicago). They will be supported by a strong crew of international pros, including Charles Bediako, Aaron Best, Khem Birch, Mfiondu Kabengele, Thomas Kennedy, Kassius Robertson, Jackson Rowe, and Kyle Wiltjer.
There will be a small contingent of players present but not available to play due to injuries, contract situations or personal conflicts, and that group only underlines how deep the pool the men’s team is pulling from as it includes: RJ Barrett (Toronto), Bennedict Mathurin (Clippers), Kelly Olynyk (Spurs), Dwight Powell (Mavericks) and Lu Dort (OKC).
Zach Edey, the massive centre for the Memphis Grizzlies who missed most of last season recovering from ankle surgery, has been ruled out of training camp or any of the qualifying games this summer, although he’s committed to play at the World Cup in 2027 and the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
But it is quite a commitment. Among those who chose not to make it – and Herbert is adamant that being willing to at least attend training camp this summer was part of the commitment he was looking for in the buildup for 2028 – are Denver Nuggets start Jamal Murray, who was with the team at the Olympics in 2024, Miami Heat veteran Andrew Wiggins, who last played for Canada in qualifying for the 2022 Olympics and up-and-coming Portland Trail Blazers wing Shaedon Sharpe, who has yet make his national team debut.
Most of Canada’s NBA contingent are playing on competitive NBA teams. Going back to 2023, Shai Gilgeous Alexander played for Canada at World Cup in August and September, played into May with the Thunder, then played for Canada in Paris in July and August, played well into June of 2025 while leading the Thunder to the NBA title in 2025 and then played through to the end of May with the Thunder before they lost in seven games in the Western Conference Finals.
It’s a good problem to have, but it captures why even with elite talent to draw on, national team success is never guaranteed.
“I guess the logistics are difficult but being here and playing for your country isn’t,” said Brooks, who was named co-captain for the upcoming window along with Gilgeous-Alexander. “… After last year, we all had a meeting, we were all committed, we went over what the process was.”
Said Gilgeous-Alexander: "I also don’t think it’s a burden. We love basketball at the end of the day. We’re grown men playing the game that we love. Not a lot of people get to experience that and go through that joy and the competition. I think when we’re all done one day we’ll look back on these days and wish we could still have them, so enjoy them while we still have them, for sure.”
Sound advice.
