NBA Canada Series will send more teams than ever north of the border for preseason games

The NBA will continue to feed the growing appetite for basketball north of the border with the fourth annual NBA Canada Series in October.

Next season's version of the series will feature a record number of teams and preseason games taking place in Canada, with the Toronto Raptors taking their 'We The North' mantra through stops in Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal to play the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards, respectively.

The Timberwolves, led by Canadian phenom and reigning Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, will also play the Bulls in Winnipeg.

• Oct. 4: Raptors vs. Clippers (Vancouver)
• Oct. 10: Timberwolves vs. Bulls (Winnipeg)
• Oct. 14: Raptors vs. Timberwolves (Ottawa)
• Oct. 23: Raptors vs. Wizards (Montreal)

The series, which will also feature interactive fan events and NBA Cares programs in each respective city, will be a fitting start to a 2015-16 season that figures to be more Canadian-centric than any in league history.

After a season that saw more Canadian talent on the court than any other and saw the country produce more NBA players than any country outside of the U.S., Toronto will host the first All-Star game ever held outside of the United States come February.

The 2015-16 season will also see the league celebrate the 125th anniversary of basketball itself, which was invented by Canadian Dr. James Naismith in 1891.

"As the country's lone NBA team, we are honoured to again be part of the NBA Canada Series," Raptors president and general manager Masai Ujiri said in a statement. "The crowds last season in Vancouver and Montreal were enthusiastic and passionate about the NBA. We look forward to the same excitement for the Raptors in those two cities and our nation's capital."

The Raptors, who often hold training camp in a Canadian city outside of Toronto, traveled to Vancouver and Montreal to take on the Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks last preseason.