Canada men's national basketball team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Canada

FIBA ranking	7 1 (March 1, 2024)
Joined FIBA	1936; 89 years ago (1936)
FIBA zone	FIBA Americas
National federation	Canada Basketball
Coach	Gordon Herbert
Nickname(s)	Team Canada
Olympic Games
Appearances	10
Medals	Silver: (1936)
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	15
Medals	Bronze: (2023)
FIBA AmeriCup
Appearances	19
Medals	Silver: (1980, 1999) Bronze: (1984, 1988, 2001, 2015)
Home Away
First international
Canada 24–17 Brazil  (Berlin, Germany; August 7, 1936)
Biggest win
Canada 128–38 Malaysia  (Tenerife, Spain; July 5, 1986)
Biggest defeat
Greece 123–49 Canada  (Athens, Greece; August 17, 2010)
Medal record Men's basketball Olympic Games Silver 1936 Berlin Team FIBA World Cup Bronze 2023 Philippines–Japan–Indonesia FIBA AmeriCup Silver 1980 Puerto Rico Silver 1999 Puerto Rico Bronze 1984 Brazil Bronze 1988 Uruguay Bronze 2001 Argentina Bronze 2015 Mexico Pan American Games Silver 2015 Toronto Team

The Canada men's national basketball team (also known as Team Canada) plays for Canada in international basketball games. Canada Basketball is the group that manages the team. They have been competing since 1923.

Canada has played in 10 Olympic tournaments. They won a silver medal at the 1936 Games in Berlin. The team also finished fourth in 1976 and 1984. At the FIBA AmeriCup, Canada has won six medals. These include two silver medals (in 1980 and 1999) and four bronze medals (in 1984, 1988, 2001, and 2015). Recently, the team earned its first medals at the Pan American Games (silver in 2015) and the FIBA World Cup (bronze in 2023).

The Canadian senior national team won its only gold medal at a university-level event. This was the 1983 Summer Universiade, which Canada hosted in Edmonton, Alberta.

Team Canada's Journey in Basketball

Early Days and Growth

Canada is known as the country where basketball was invented. Because of this, Canada's national team has often been a strong competitor on the world stage.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Team Canada was consistently one of the top teams. The rise of star player Steve Nash in the 1990s gave the team another boost. However, after he retired, great performances became less common.

Challenges and Comebacks (2009–2016)

Canada started a new period by entering the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship. They made it to the quarterfinals. After a close win against the Dominican Republic, Canada reached the semifinals. They lost to Brazil, but their top-four finish meant they qualified for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. Unfortunately, Canada finished 22nd in that tournament.

Some people thought Canada's poor performance in 2010 was because key players like Steve Nash were not on the team. Nash had retired from the national team earlier. Other players were unavailable for different reasons.

In 2011, Canada tried to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics. They played in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship but did not advance far enough. This meant they missed out on the Olympics. On May 9, 2012, Steve Nash became the team's general manager.

After a tough 2013 FIBA Americas Championship, Team Canada found success in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship. They reached the semifinals but lost a very close game to Venezuela. In the third-place game, they beat Mexico by one point to win the bronze medal.

This third-place finish allowed Canada to play in the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament – Manila. To qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, they needed to win the tournament. Canada made it to the finals but lost to France. This meant they missed another Summer Olympics.

Recent Years and Big Achievements (2017–Present)

After missing the Olympics, Canada played in the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup. The team mostly had players who were not in the NBA. They finished in 8th place.

The Canadians then made their first appearance at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. They won a silver medal there.

Before the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse was hired to lead Team Canada. The team finished 21st in the World Cup, which was one of their lowest rankings ever.

In 2020, the team had to withdraw from some games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to a fine and a point deduction from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Canada had one more chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. They played in the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments – Victoria. They reached the semifinals but lost a very close overtime game to the Czech Republic. This meant they missed the Summer Games for the fifth time in a row.

The Rogers Centre in Toronto has served Team Canada as home court for most of their matches.

After these challenges, Canada Basketball started a "Summer Core" plan. Fourteen players agreed to play for Canada for three summers in a row. This commitment included the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics. This was Canada's first Olympic appearance since 2000.

In 2022, Canada played in the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup. They finished 4th after losing to Brazil in the semifinals and the United States in the bronze medal game.

On June 27, 2023, Jordi Fernández became the new head coach. Before the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Canada played five exhibition games. They won three of them, including victories against higher-ranked teams like Germany and Spain.

Canada continued their strong play into the World Cup. They beat France in their first game. They finished the first round with a perfect 3-0 record. After a loss to Brazil, their next game against world number one Spain was crucial. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led a comeback, and Canada won, securing their spot in the quarterfinals and their first Olympic berth since 2000. Canada then defeated Slovenia to reach the World Cup semifinals for the first time. After losing to Serbia, Canada played the United States for the bronze medal. Canada won in overtime, 127-118. This was the team's first global championship medal since 1936! Dillon Brooks scored 39 points in that game. Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the World Cup All-Tournament Team, and Brooks won the Best Defensive Player award. The team was also named Team of the Year by The Canadian Press.

Canada entered the 2024 Paris Olympics as one of the favorites for a medal. Their roster included many stars from the World Cup, plus NBA champion Jamal Murray. They had a strong group stage, winning all their games against tough teams like Australia, Spain, and Greece. However, they were surprisingly knocked out in the quarterfinals by the host team, France. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the tournament's All-Second Team.

Team Roster

Current Players

This is the team that played in the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Men's team rosters

Player Positions

Here's how the players are typically organized by position:

Head Coaches

Here are the coaches who have led the Canadian men's national basketball team:

Team Achievements

Olympic Games

Canada has played in the Olympics many times. Their best result was a silver medal in 1936.

Olympic Games record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1936	Silver medalists	2nd of 23	6	5	1	176	104	+72
1948	9th place	9th of 23	8	6	2	397	313	+84
1952	13th place	13th of 23	6	3	3	404	385	+19
1956	9th place	9th of 15	7	5	2	511	455	+56
1960	Did not qualify
1964	14th place	14th of 16	9	1	8	555	670	–115
1968	Did not qualify
1972
1976	4th place	4th of 12	7	4	3	595	611	–16
1980	Originally qualified, but withdrew
1984	4th place	4th of 12	8	4	4	681	639	+42
1988	6th place	6th of 12	6	2	4	552	550	+2
1992	Did not qualify
1996
2000	7th place	7th of 12	6	4	2	496	441	+55
2004	Did not qualify
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024	5th place	5th of 12	4	3	1	340	329	+11
2028	To be determined
Total	1 medal	10/22	67	37	30	4,707	4,497	+210

FIBA World Cup

Canada won a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
1950	—	1950 FIBA World Championship	Buenos Aires, Argentina
1954	7	1954 FIBA World Championship	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1959	12	1959 FIBA World Championship	Chile
1963	11	1963 FIBA World Championship	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1967	—	1967 FIBA World Championship	Uruguay
1970	10	1970 FIBA World Championship	Yugoslavia
1974	8	1974 FIBA World Championship	Puerto Rico
1978	6	1978 FIBA World Championship	Philippines
1982	6	1982 FIBA World Championship	Colombia
1986	8	1986 FIBA World Championship	Spain
1990	12	1990 FIBA World Championship	Argentina
1994	7	1994 FIBA World Championship	Toronto, Canada
1998	12	1998 FIBA World Championship	Athens, Greece
2002	13	2002 FIBA World Championship	Indianapolis, U.S.
2006	—	2006 FIBA World Championship	Japan
2010	22	2010 FIBA World Championship	Turkey
2014	—	2014 FIBA World Cup	Spain
2019	21	2019 FIBA World Cup	China
2023	3 Bronze	2023 FIBA World Cup	Philippines, Japan and Indonesia
2027	To be determined	2027 FIBA World Cup	Qatar

FIBA AmeriCup

Canada has won several medals at the FIBA AmeriCup.

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
1980	2 Silver	1980 Tournament of the Americas	San Juan, Puerto Rico
1984	3 Bronze	1984 Tournament of the Americas	São Paulo, Brazil
1988	3 Bronze	1988 Tournament of the Americas	Montevideo, Uruguay
1989	5	1989 Tournament of the Americas	Mexico City, Mexico
1992	5	1992 Tournament of the Americas	Portland, U.S.
1993	7	1993 Tournament of the Americas	San Juan, Puerto Rico
1995	4	1995 Tournament of the Americas	Neuquén, Argentina
1997	5	1997 Tournament of the Americas	Montevideo, Uruguay
1999	2 Silver	1999 Tournament of the Americas	San Juan, Puerto Rico
2001	3 Bronze	2001 Tournament of the Americas	Neuquén, Argentina
2003	4	2003 Tournament of the Americas	San Juan, Puerto Rico
2005	9	2005 FIBA Americas Championship	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2007	5	2007 FIBA Americas Championship	Las Vegas, U.S.
2009	4	2009 FIBA Americas Championship	San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011	6	2011 FIBA Americas Championship	Mar del Plata, Argentina
2013	6	2013 FIBA Americas Championship	Caracas, Venezuela
2015	3 Bronze	2015 FIBA Americas Championship	Mexico City, Mexico
2017	8	2017 FIBA AmeriCup	Argentina/Colombia/Uruguay
2022	4	2022 FIBA AmeriCup	Recife, Brazil
2025	Qualified	2025 FIBA AmeriCup	Managua, Nicaragua

Pan American Games

Canada won a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
1951	—	Basketball at the 1951 Pan American Games	Buenos Aires, Argentina
1955	—	Basketball at the 1955 Pan American Games	Mexico City, Mexico
1959	5	Basketball at the 1959 Pan American Games	Chicago, U.S.
1963	6	Basketball at the 1963 Pan American Games	São Paulo, Brazil
1967	9	Basketball at the 1967 Pan American Games	Winnipeg, Canada
1971	8	Basketball at the 1971 Pan American Games	Cali, Colombia
1975	6	Basketball at the 1975 Pan American Games	Mexico City, Mexico
1979	5	Basketball at the 1979 Pan American Games	San Juan, Puerto Rico
1983	4	Basketball at the 1983 Pan American Games	Caracas, Venezuela
1987	5	Basketball at the 1987 Pan American Games	Indianapolis, U.S.
1991	9	Basketball at the 1991 Pan American Games	Havana, Cuba
1995	—	Basketball at the 1995 Pan American Games	Mar del Plata, Argentina
1999	5	Basketball at the 1999 Pan American Games	Winnipeg, Canada
2003	7	Basketball at the 2003 Pan American Games	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2007	7	Basketball at the 2007 Pan American Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2011	6	Basketball at the 2011 Pan American Games	Guadalajara, Mexico
2015	2 Silver	Basketball at the 2015 Pan American Games	Toronto, Canada
2019	—	Basketball at the 2019 Pan American Games	Lima, Peru
2023	Withdrew	Basketball at the 2023 Pan American Games	Santiago, Chile

Other Tournaments

• 2018 Commonwealth Games – Silver
• Marchand Continental Championship Cup – Champions in 2015
• Summer Universiade – Gold in 1983

See Also

• Canada women's national basketball team
• Basketball in Canada