Canada's Jamaal Magloire continues to be celebrated in his post-playing days.
The 12-year NBA centre has been inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Thursday.
“This is such a tremendous honour and I am so humbled,” said Magloire in a statement published by the Hall. “Basketball is my life’s passion and it’s been a great road. I look back on it all … high school, my college days, learning how to grow from a boy to a man, being drafted into the NBA, being one of only three Canadian players in the league at that time, and now we have 25 Canadian athletes. It’s good to see how the game has evolved and it’s good that I was able to come back home to the place where it started for me.”
Affectionately known by fans as "Big Cat," Magloire grew up in Scarborough, Ont., en route to being a first-round draft pick. Magloire was taken 19th overall in 2000 by the Charlotte Hornets, shortly after helping Kentucky win a national title in 1998 — he remains the Wildcats' all-time blocks leader.
Through his 12 NBA seasons (680 regular-season games), Magloire averaged 7.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 21.5 minutes, splitting his time between eight different teams. Magloire's best season came in 2003-04, when the then-25-year-old earned his lone all-star nod while averaging 13.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.2 blocks while playing all 82 games.
He ended his playing career in 2012, spending the season with his hometown Toronto Raptors, becoming the first-ever Canadian player to suit up for the team.
NBA Hall of Famer Steve Nash shared his praise for Magloire through a statement upon news of the induction: "Kids across Canada saw themselves in Jamaal and were inspired. His dedication on the court, and his leadership and engagement in the community, embody the best of our sport. Jamaal continues to remove barriers, creating access and opportunities for the next generation of Canadian youth to thrive.”
After his playing days, Magloire spent time as an assistant coach and community ambassador with the Raptors — being part of Nick Nurse's championship-winning coaching staff in 2019.
“Having Jamaal on my coaching staff was invaluable with his unique perspective as a hometown player-coach with an innate ability to connect and mentor athletes on and off the court," Nurse shared in a statement. "His longstanding and decorated career has left a lasting impression on the Canadian Basketball landscape, proving that success at the highest level is attainable for Canadian players. Because of Jamaal’s generational impact, homegrown talent has a more defined pathway to excel.”
Magloire has also found ways to give back to his community, working as a basketball executive for the Canadian Elite Basketball League's Scarborough Shooting Stars. The 48-year-old helped the team win a title in 2023 as the club's vice president and special advisor.
He also founded the Jamaal Magloire Foundation back in 2017, a registered charity helping underrepresented youth in the greater Toronto area overcome social and academic obstacles.
Magloire was inducted into the Ontario Basketball Hall of Fame's 2024 class and the 2025 Toronto Sports Hall of Honour.
Other inductees part of the 2026 Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame class: athletes Miranda Ayim, Michael Meeks, Anna Stammberger, Dan Meagher and Teresa Kleindienst, and coaches Peter “Doc” Ryan and Dave Smart.
“The Class of 2026 represents the full breadth of what it takes to build a basketball nation: athletes who competed on the world’s biggest stages, coaches who built lasting programs, officials as on-court stewards, and builders who gave the game its foundation,” said Canada Basketball president and CEO Michael Bartlett in a statement. “On behalf of our organization, I wish to extend our most sincere appreciation for all that this class accomplished and for the lasting impact each of them has had on basketball in Canada.”
