Wiggins returns to Canada fold with Olympics camp invite
Canada Basketball unveiled its full 20-man training camp roster Wednesday, with a familiar face returning to compete for a spot on its 2024 Paris Olympics squad.
Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins will be at the Toronto camp, marking his return to the national team picture for the first time in three years. He last played for the country in its July 2021 overtime loss to the Czech Republic in the semifinals of the men's olympic qualifiers. The defeat prevented the Canadians from reaching the Tokyo Games.
Here's the full training camp roster:
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Kyle Alexander | Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel) |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Timberwolves |
| RJ Barrett | Raptors |
| Trae Bell-Haynes | Basket Zaragoza (Spain) |
| Khem Birch | Basquet Girona (Spain) |
| Oshae Brissett | Celtics |
| Dillon Brooks | Rockets |
| Luguentz Dort | Thunder |
| Zach Edey | - |
| Melvin Ejim | Unicaja (Spain) |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Thunder |
| Mfiondu Kabengele | Venezia (Italy) |
| Trey Lyles | Kings |
| Jamal Murray | Nuggets |
| Andrew Nembhard | Pacers |
| Kelly Olynyk | Raptors |
| Dwight Powell | Mavericks |
| Phil Scrubb | Bahcesehir (Turkey) |
| Thomas Scrubb | Obradoiro (Spain) |
| Andrew Wiggins | Warriors |
Shaedon Sharpe and Bennedict Mathurin, of the Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers, respectively, will also attend but won't compete for a spot on the roster.
Canada will face the United States in an exhibition on July 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It will then face France on July 19 and the winner of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Puerto Rico on July 21.
Wiggins wasn't among the 14 players who committed to Canada's three-year Olympics window in 2022 under then-head coach Nick Nurse. However, the former first overall pick in the NBA is one of the country's most distinguished vets, with 10 seasons under his belt and a championship with the Warriors in 2022. During the 2021 qualifying tournament, he led Canada in scoring in both group-stage games before dropping 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting in the loss to the Czechs.
Cory Joseph, who was part of Canada's three-year commitment list, wasn't invited to this summer's training camp. The free-agent guard and former national team captain wasn't part of the squad that won bronze at the 2023 FIBA World Cup - which sent the program back to the Olympics for the first time since Sydney 2000 - due to a back injury.
The 32-year-old was upset to miss out on an invite after representing his country at multiple events throughout his NBA career.
"I took the honor of playing for your country very seriously and did it many times over the years," Joseph told Sportsnet's Michael Grange on Friday after learning he wouldn't receive an invite. "This is not me complaining, I'm not a complainer. But there were times when I put FIBA basketball and playing for my country over my NBA situation at the time, whether I was in a contract year and I had no contract at the time and I went to go play for my country, whether I had little bumps and tweaks, I was there.
"Whether guys came or not, I always thought we still had a chance. For me it's a little disheartening to be like, 'Wow, I wasn't even given an opportunity to compete for whatever position?'"
Canada, now coached by new Brooklyn Nets boss Jordi Fernandez, will play in Group A of the Olympic tournament with Australia plus two yet-to-qualify sides. Its first game will be on July 27 against the winner of the qualifying tournament contested by Slovenia, Croatia, New Zealand, Egypt, the Dominican Republic, and Greece.