Canada Basketball unveils men's roster for Olympic qualifiers
Canada unveiled its 12-player roster Monday for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Victoria, British Columbia.
The squad will feature 10 players with NBA experience, the majority of whom are active in the Association.
Here's who national team head coach Nick Nurse will have at his disposal as Canada seeks to clinch its first Olympic appearance since 2000:
| POS | PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| G | Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Pelicans |
| G | RJ Barrett | Knicks |
| G | Trae Bell-Haynes | Crailsheim Merlins (Germany) |
| G | Luguentz Dort | Thunder |
| G | Cory Joseph | Pistons |
| G | Mychal Mulder | Warriors |
| G | Andrew Wiggins | Warriors |
| F | Anthony Bennett | Cangrejeros de Santurce (Puerto Rico) |
| F | Aaron Doornekamp | Tenerife (Spain) |
| F | Andrew Nicholson | Fujian Sturgeons (China) |
| F | Dwight Powell | Mavericks |
| C | Trey Lyles | Spurs |
Despite the roster's wealth of NBA experience, Canada is missing a number of notable talents.
In addition to injured Denver Nuggets shooting guard Jamal Murray, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Memphis Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks, Boston Celtics big man Tristan Thompson, Houston Rockets big man Kelly Olynyk, and Toronto Raptors bigs Chris Boucher and Khem Birch are sitting out the qualifiers.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| June 29 | Greece | 7:05 p.m. |
| June 30 | China | 7:05 p.m. |
The semifinal games will be played July 3, with the win-or-go-home contest slated for July 5.
If Canada beats out the field in Victoria - a group that also includes the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Uruguay - the team will travel to Hawaii to make its final preparations ahead of the Olympic men's basketball tournament. The action in Tokyo gets underway July 25.