Six months from now, Canada will host an Olympic Qualifying Tournament with hopes of securing a spot in the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo. Dallas Mavericks centre Dwight Powell wants to be part of that process.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” Powell, a Toronto native, told Sportsnet’s Danielle Michaud before Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. “It’s always been my dream to play in the Olympics.”
From June 23-28, Canada will host a six-team OQT in Victoria, B.C., in which the tournament’s winner advances to the Olympics. Canada, ranked No. 21 in the FIBA World Rankings, will compete with Greece (No. 7), Czech Republic (No. 10), Turkey (No. 15), China (No. 27) and Uruguay (No. 43).
Powell is one of several Canadians in the NBA who have voiced their willingness to suit up for their home country in the summer. Others include Jamal Murray, Dillon Brooks, RJ Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Playing for my country is always an honour and I want to take the step and leadership role to commit to @canadabasketball this summer. I want to play my part to help push our team into the Olympics and compete at the highest world stage. Let’s go Canada
— Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) November 26, 2019
In his sixth NBA season, Powell is averaging 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game as the starting centre for the Mavericks.
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