Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA crown could spark Canada's next basketball boom
Like many Canadians, Michael Bartlett watched Game 7 of the NBA Finals with bated breath. But as Canada Basketball's president and CEO, he had a unique rooting interest, with players on both teams.
Article content
Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montreal's Luguentz Dort helped the Oklahoma City Thunder capture the franchise's second championship, defeating Andrew Nembhard of Aurora and Montreal's Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers. Bartlett said he was thrilled for all four Canadians, no matter who came out on top.
Article content
Article content
Article content
'Oh, it was uncontrollable at times,' said Bartlett in a phone interview on Monday morning. 'I looked up, it was 4:50 left on the clock in Game 7 last night, and four Canadians are on the court playing meaningful minutes in crunch time with the ball in their hands. Gosh, that's exciting.
Article content
'There's nothing better than seeing people you care about, truly care about, and they care about you, shine when they have the opportunity to shine.'
Article content
Bartlett said all of Canada Basketball's staff was exchanging texts throughout the climactic game, which Oklahoma City ultimately won 103-91. Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are the 11th and 12th Canadians to win an NBA title, and Bartlett believes the experience gained by all four players will benefit Canada's senior men's team.
Article content
'They're learning how to win on the toughest of stages, which you also can't help but draw a connection to when we're in a tough situation, a game on the line, winner goes home,' he said.
Article content
Article content
Article content
He became the fourth player in league history to win the scoring title, MVP, NBA championship and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O'Neal.
Article content
Rowan Barrett, the general manager of Canada's men's senior basketball team, said Gilgeous-Alexander's experience in the post-season will help him in international competition because, through each round of the playoffs, he faced the opposing team's toughest defenders.
Article content
'It's got to help your national team at some point when he's back in the fold playing,' said Barrett. 'Those experiences, the pressure, the different ways they try to guard him, the different ways you've got to bring your teammates along while balancing attacking the defence every possession, all those things, I think are going to help him.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
5 hours ago
- National Post
Canucks' new draft Braeden Cootes wants to be Brayden Point
The Seattle Thunderbirds have become an NHL prospect engine and the Vancouver Canucks have jumped aboard. Article content That much is clear after snagging centre Braeden Cootes 15th overall at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, a player everyone says plays with heart, has sneaky-good skills and, above all else, is a top-notch leader. Article content Article content He was captain of the Thunderbirds and captain of the Canada U18s. Leadership is his thing. Article content It's a statement about the culture of his family and the values of his junior team. Article content 'Above the line,' he said during his first meeting with the media, was a lead value of his team. Article content 'You keep pounding the stone. It's eventually going to break,' was another. Article content Culture in Seattle is huge. So is talent. And scouts tell you that Cootes' playing style hide his skills, but he has them, even if they don't pop. Article content 'Watch his goals this year,' Seattle GM Bill La Forge said after the Canucks made the pick. His talent and his desire have long been evident. Article content When he was 15, he spent the last few months of the WHL season with Seattle. His heart and his skill were so evident even then, he drew the attention of his teammates; he'd be a preferred third player in three-on-three drills. Even veterans like Brad Lambert and Dylan Guenther would pick him. Article content 'They have a lot of great history of NHL players coming out of that program and Braeden being a captain, a leader of that team, that excited my staff,' Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said. 'And how he played and how prepared he was and the consistency. And I think that's something in that program that they, from the top, are teaching those young players.' Article content Article content Cootes listed a couple former teammates as players he's learned to model his own leadership on: Lucas Ciona, who was captain in Seattle in that first tastes of the WHL in 2022-23, and Lucas Gustafson, who was captain in 2023-24. Article content Article content 'Two guys I looked up to big time in how they led and just everybody there really,' he explained. 'Like I said, the culture in Seattle, I mean, it's just kind of the person that I became. Obviously what we do there is top notch in how we handle ourselves as people and players.' Article content For some time there had been speculation that the Canucks would trade the pick, especially to grab a second-line centre. Article content But in the end they went with the future. Article content Allvin downplayed what was available. Article content 'The conversations didn't lead much,' he claimed. Earlier in the week he'd suggested he was willing to trade back, though whether that changed when it became clear he could draft Cootes at 15 he didn't say.
Ottawa Citizen
5 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Alouettes aren't the same team without injured QB Davis Alexander
The Alouettes better hope Davis Alexander, their 26-year-old starting quarterback, is a quick healer. They're simply not the same team without him. Article content And unless Alexander recovers quickly from the hamstring injury he suffered June 19 at Edmonton, this team is in serious trouble. Article content Through one game, at least, McLeod Bethel-Thompson isn't the answer, despite everything he has accomplished in his career. As good and as accurate as the 36-year-old was in practice during the week, he was unable to duplicate any of that against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' swarming defence on Friday night. Article content Article content The Alouettes suffered their first loss of the season and were badly outplayed in this ugly 35-17 setback before 20,911 Hamilton Stadium spectators. Article content Article content Perhaps it was the effects of three successive road games catching up to Montreal? But, more than likely, it was the absence of Alexander that derailed a team that started the season with a 3-0 record. The Ticats, coming off a bye in the schedule, won for the first time in three games — and exposed the visitors in the process. Article content The Als, who entered this contest having scored a CFL-leading 105 points, failed to penetrate Hamilton's end zone for more than 55 minutes until completing an eight-play, 64-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Cole Spieker. Article content Until that point, Montreal's scoring consisted of three Jose Maltos field goals and a Joseph Zema punt single. Bethel-Thompson and the Alouettes couldn't score a touchdown despite scrimmaging from the Hamilton 4 in the third quarter. Article content Article content There was no chemistry between Bethel-Thompson and his receivers. Tyson Philpot, who should have been counted on heavily because of the absence of injured Austin Mack, didn't make his first catch until just before halftime. Indeed, that was the first time Bethel-Thompson attempted a pass to him. Article content Spieker was Montreal's leading receiver, with six receptions for 57 yards. Tyler Snead also had six catches, producing 55 yards. Charleston Rambo, arguably the Als' most-dangerous deep threat, had five receptions for 49 yards, while Philpot had four catches for 41 yards. Article content Montreal's longest passing play was 17 yards — a feat accomplished three times, by Spieker, Snead and Philpot. Article content When the Alouettes decided Alexander was their quarterback of the future, they traded Cody Fajardo to Edmonton last winter for Bethel-Thompson, a two-time Grey Cup champion who has passed for more than 17,000 yards and 94 touchdowns in his career.
Montreal Gazette
5 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Alouettes aren't the same team without injured QB Davis Alexander
The Alouettes better hope Davis Alexander, their 26-year-old starting quarterback, is a quick healer. They're simply not the same team without him. And unless Alexander recovers quickly from the hamstring injury he suffered June 19 at Edmonton, this team is in serious trouble. Through one game, at least, McLeod Bethel-Thompson isn't the answer, despite everything he has accomplished in his career. As good and as accurate as the 36-year-old was in practice during the week, he was unable to duplicate any of that against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' swarming defence on Friday night. The Alouettes suffered their first loss of the season and were badly outplayed in this ugly 35-17 setback before 20,911 Hamilton Stadium spectators. Perhaps it was the effects of three successive road games catching up to Montreal? But, more than likely, it was the absence of Alexander that derailed a team that started the season with a 3-0 record. The Ticats, coming off a bye in the schedule, won for the first time in three games — and exposed the visitors in the process. The Als, who entered this contest having scored a CFL-leading 105 points, failed to penetrate Hamilton's end zone for more than 55 minutes until completing an eight-play, 64-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Cole Spieker. Until that point, Montreal's scoring consisted of three Jose Maltos field goals and a Joseph Zema punt single. Bethel-Thompson and the Alouettes couldn't score a touchdown despite scrimmaging from the Hamilton 4 in the third quarter. There was no chemistry between Bethel-Thompson and his receivers. Tyson Philpot, who should have been counted on heavily because of the absence of injured Austin Mack, didn't make his first catch until just before halftime. Indeed, that was the first time Bethel-Thompson attempted a pass to him. Spieker was Montreal's leading receiver, with six receptions for 57 yards. Tyler Snead also had six catches, producing 55 yards. Charleston Rambo, arguably the Als' most-dangerous deep threat, had five receptions for 49 yards, while Philpot had four catches for 41 yards. Montreal's longest passing play was 17 yards — a feat accomplished three times, by Spieker, Snead and Philpot. When the Alouettes decided Alexander was their quarterback of the future, they traded Cody Fajardo to Edmonton last winter for Bethel-Thompson, a two-time Grey Cup champion who has passed for more than 17,000 yards and 94 touchdowns in his career. Bethel-Thompson, making his first start for Montreal, completed 24 of 41 passes for 203 yards, but also proved to be his own worst enemy and was intercepted twice. Granted, he could be excused for one of the turnovers. A third quarter attempt deflected off rookie tailback Travis Theis and into the hands of rookie Canadian middle-linebacker Devin Veresuk. Veresuk, selected second overall in this year's Canadian college draft, returned the ball 36 yards for a touchdown. Incredibly, the Alouettes trailed only by eight points following Spieker's touchdown and a defensive stop. But with 2:27 remaining in the fourth quarter and Montreal scrimmaging from inside its 10, Bethel-Thompson fumbled Justin Lawrence's snap — one that was slightly off centre, but one he, nonetheless, got his hands on. The ball was recovered in the end zone by Hamilton's Julian Howsare, which put the game out of reach. For the first time this season, the play selection of head coach Jason Maas was bizarre to say the least. Although the Ticats had allowed a league-high average of 145.5 yards rushing, Maas called only 10 running plays — three each by Bethel-Thompson and short-yardage quarterback Caleb Evans. Sean Thomas-Erlington had two carries. Theis and Stevie Scott III each had one. Theis's one carry in the third quarter produced an 11-yard gain, yet he never was utilized again. It made no sense. 'We, as a team, didn't perform well enough to win a game in all three phases,' Maas said in Hamilton. 'It's not a one-person game. But I'm sure there's things (Bethel-Thompson) would like to execute better.' It was a contest that screamed for the Als' defence to make a play. And while they tried valiantly, they couldn't produce a game-defining moment. They did create a turnover on downs on Hamilton's opening possession. And the Ticats required three plays from the Montreal 1 before Kenny Lawler scored on a pass from Bo Levi Mitchell before halftime. Safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy had Montreal's only sack, while linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku forced and recovered a Jevoni Robinson fumble in the first quarter. But more was required. 'We gave up the two turnovers for touchdowns, which didn't help us on the scoreboard,' Maas said in Hamilton. 'Our defence wasn't on the field for those. We need to do a better job protecting the ball and not giving up those plays, allow our defence to play the way they're accustomed to playing.' The Alouettes were threatening to run away with the East Division, but now could be pressured for first place should the Redblacks win at home against Toronto on Sunday night, putting Ottawa only two points behind Montreal. This story was originally published June 28, 2025 at 12:14 AM.
