TORONTO (Canada) - Canada are at the beginning of what could and probably should be a decade of excellence in international basketball, especially with the country's superstars having pledged to keep suiting up for the national team at FIBA Basketball World Cups and Olympic Games.
"I wish the Olympics was tomorrow," RJ Barrett said last week, as reported in the Toronto Star, after he was asked about his commitment to the cause.
"Oh yeah," said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, after leading his Oklahoma City Thunder past Barrett and the Toronto Raptors. "I love the game of basketball and I love representing my country."
Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder and Canada teammate, Lu Dort, chimed in.
"Of course," Dort said of playing for Canada, and of taking part in the Olympics.
"I'm always proud to wear my country on my chest. It was a great experience. It's been a long time since Canada made it to (the Olympics in men’s basketball), so I'd be happy to do it again."
Canada ended a 24-year Olympic drought when they played in France, which they did after reaching the podium for the first time ever at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, in 2023, when Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the All-Star Five.
Canada came up a couple of wins short of winning a second Olympic medal in their history, and first since 1936 at the first Summer Games, in Berlin.
The national team has nevertheless begun meeting the lofty expectations that have been around the national team for the past decade. They almost qualified for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics yet a last second 79-78 defeat to Venezuela in the FIBA AmeriCup Semi-Finals in Mexico prevented them from going.
I just wouldn't take any moment for granted; I wouldn't take any possession for granted
Canada was two wins short of the Tokyo Games after hosting the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Victoria. They fell to eventual winners Czechia, 103-101, in the Semi-Finals.
Despite the high of making it to Paris, Gilgeous-Alexander left the court with an empty feeling. Canada won their first three games against Greece, Australia and Spain, respectively, yet went off the rails against France midway through their Quarter-Final and trailed by 19 points. Canada rallied to make it 71-66 with 2:14 remaining but France held on for the 82-73 win.
The loss still bothers Gilgeous-Alexander.
"Being in it, you kind of take it for granted," he said. "But every year I get a chance to win an NBA championship. Every four years I get a chance to win the Olympics.
"It's a special opportunity and God willing, (if) I'm around for that opportunity, I'd definitely approach it a little different, for sure.
"I just wouldn't take any moment for granted; I wouldn't take any possession for granted.
"The (40-minute FIBA) game, you don't get 48 minutes to choose your destiny. You get a short amount to see where you land."
In FIBA basketball, experience, chemistry, and the painful lessons of past events are just as crucial as having a roster filled with stars. By committing long-term to their national team, this core group of players steadily increases their chances of achieving their ultimate goal: global domination.
Now, the world knows.
FIBA