SGA, Barrett headline Canadian FIBA World Cup roster

Canada Basketball announced its full 12-man squad for the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Thursday.

The Canadians have put together arguably the deepest national team, led by Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, New York Knicks wing RJ Barrett, and team captain Kelly Olynyk. There are seven current NBA players on Team Canada.

The squad is led by new head coach Jordi Fernandez, who took over after previous bench boss Nick Nurse stepped down in June.

“With this team, we’ve assembled a group of players which we believe can compete with any team in the world,” said Fernandez. “Every time we step onto the court, I know that they will proudly represent Canada, and I truly hope fans in Canada will show them the support and admiration they deserve because we have an opportunity to do something special for the country.”

The team is without Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who announced earlier in August his withdrawal to recover from a long NBA season.

Canada went 3-2 in exhibition play, claiming overtime wins against Germany to clinch the DBB Super Cup and against Spain, the defending World Cup champions and top-ranked team in the world.

To directly qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Canada needs a top-two finish among all teams from the Americas at the World Cup.

Team Canada will kick off the group stage with a matchup against France on Friday in Jakarta, Indonesia. It’s then slated to face Lebanon on Aug. 27 and Latvia on Aug. 29.

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