8 things to get excited about for Team Canada in basketball at Paris 2024

For the first time in more than two decades, the basketball craze in Canada will be well represented on the Olympic stage.

At Paris 2024, Canada will compete in both the men’s and women’s Olympic basketball tournaments for the first time in 24 years. While the women’s team will be making their fourth consecutive appearance, the men will be competing for the first time since Sydney 2000 — and riding the momentum from their bronze medal at last year’s FIBA World Cup.

But that’s not all that’s exciting! Canada is also competing in 3×3 basketball for the first time with a women’s team that has been a dominant force on the world stage.

Here’s a quick look at a few things that should ramp up the anticipation about Team Canada in basketball at Paris 2024:

Canadian Men and the “Group of Death“

You have to beat the best to be the best. There will be no easing into the men’s tournament, especially with the teams in Canada’s group. They’ll be competing against Spain, Australia, and Greece for the top two spots in Group A, which have no shortage of historic programs and star talent. 

Spain, the No. 2-ranked team in the FIBA rankings, has a long history of strong Olympic results, including three silver medals and one bronze. Many players on the roster tasted gold at the 2019 FIBA World Cup and Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Llull and the Hernangómez brothers will all return as key contributors to the lineup. More recently, Canada got the better of Spain at the 2023 FIBA World Cup for the win that clinched Canada’s spot in the Olympic Games.

READ: Canada advances to World Cup quarterfinals, qualifies for Olympics with win over Spain

Australia won a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020, the best ever Olympic result for the Boomers. They are led by guard Patty Mills, who is playing in his fifth Olympic Games. Like Canada, the Boomers are deep with talent as 11 of their 12 players are current or former NBA hoopers.

Finally, Greece is highlighted by one of the best players in the world, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will be competing in his first Olympic Games after Greece got in through one of the final qualifying tournaments in July. They are ranked No. 14 in the world and will be competing in their first Olympic Games since Beijing 2008.

Women Ready for Australia Rematch

Like the men’s squad, the Canadian women will be put to the challenge in group play with three excellent nations up against them. Canada will kick off the tournament with a “road game” against host nation France in what will surely be an electric environment. Their second matchup with Australia may be their toughest – the Aussies are ranked third in the world and there’s an added layer of rivalry between the teams.

In the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup, Canada’s lone group stage loss came versus Australia. Despite holding a lead in the fourth quarter, Canada couldn’t withstand the Aussie comeback and fell in a tight matchup, 75-72.

The teams finished with identical group stage records and both teams wound up in a rematch for the bronze medal. However, it wasn’t much of a fight as the Opals had their way with Canada, handing them a 30-point loss to claim bronze in front of home fans in Sydney.

Surely, the matchup with Australia is a game Canada will have circled on their calendar.

Canada’s First Taste of 3×3 at the Olympics

While 3×3 made its inaugural Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 will be the first time that Canada qualified, after their women’s squad won its third-place game against Hungary in the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in May.

READ: Team Canada’s women’s 3×3 team qualify for Paris 2024

For fans of pick-up hoops, 3×3 is played on one half of a basketball court with both teams attacking and defending the same basket. The winner is the team with the highest score at the end of 10 minutes or the first team to reach 21 points. The three‑point line in conventional basketball serves as the two-point line, with shots on the inside counting for one – just like at the park.

3×3 features fast pace, non-stop action with a “dead ball” scenario only occurring after an out-of-bounds or foul. Players don’t have the luxury of soaking in their make, as the hoop becomes the same basket they must defend once the opponent checks the ball from behind the three-point line. 

This makes for an entirely different strategy, mindset, and conditioning level as players need to stay locked in for 10 minutes of non-stop, half-court hoops.

Bridget Carleton Poised for Breakout

Canada’s No. 5 position in the FIBA women’s ranking is due in large part to their depth, talent, and continuity among top players. Nobody is more poised to emerge from that pack as a go-to offensive option than Bridget Carleton.

Carleton is enjoying her best season in the WNBA, averaging nine points, four rebounds, and two assists per game with shooting splits that are up across the board. Notably, Carleton’s Minnesota Lynx are tied for first place atop the Western Conference with a 17-8 record. 

Before her breakout season, Carleton showed how important she was to the national team during the FIBA Qualifying Tournament in Sopron, Hungary this past February. She was the second-leading scorer for Team Canada, averaging 14 points and six rebounds in three games. Her timely buckets helped drag Canada out of the mud on offence, and they will surely lean on her in those situations in Paris.

Carleton’s increased role with the Lynx is undoubtedly contributing to a winning culture in Minnesota, and she will look to bring the same leadership and versatility to Team Canada in Paris 2024.

Canadian Women: The Next Generation

Another player poised for a breakout is 22-year-old Aaliyah Edwards. Despite her young age, Edwards already took the floor for Canada at Tokyo 2020, regarded then as one of the best prospects in Canadian history. 

Since then, Edwards capped off a fantastic college career with two all-conference selections with the illustrious UConn Huskies. 

She was taken with the sixth overall pick in the WNBA Draft and is currently having a fantastic rookie season with the Washington Mystics. Edwards brings physicality and rim protection to a team that already features the likes of Kayla Alexander and Natalie Achonwa.

Edwards averaged just five minutes per game in her first Olympic Games, but is sure to see an increase in Paris and will likely play a pivotal role in Canada’s success.

Another name fans can expect to hear for years to come is Syla Swords. At 18 years old, she will become the youngest basketball player to ever play for Canada at the Olympic Games. Swords is a sharpshooting guard who has already shown flashes of brilliance playing with the national team.

In 2023, she averaged 15 points per game to help Canada win bronze at the FIB U19 World Cup. Swords is the daughter of Shawn Swords, who represented Canada at Sydney 2000.

The Return of Jamal Murray and Canada’s Superstar Backcourt

One of the key pieces of the men’s national team will return to the court as Jamal Murray makes his comeback after a long absence from the national team.

NBA fans will be familiar with Murray, who has built a fantastic career playing point guard for one of the league’s premier teams, the Denver Nuggets. The 28-year-old has averaged at least 20 points per game in each of the last three seasons and will bring a mix of experience, scoring, and guard skills that will surely raise the team’s ceiling.

Of course, Murray will share the backcourt with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose place in history is already immortalized thanks to his stepback jumper in the game that sealed Canada’s Olympic fate versus Spain back in September. 

SGA has emerged as a star – both in the NBA, where he finished second in MVP voting this past season, and for Team Canada, as he was named to the FIBA All-Star Team for his role in leading Canada to the World Cup podium.

The Dillon Brooks Show

Of course, no preview of the men’s team would be complete without mention of their batman: Dillon Brooks. Brooks’ irrational confidence, constant trash talking, and physical style of play have garnered a reputation in NBA circles among players and fans. 

Love him or hate him, Brooks backed up all the tough talk last summer with an otherworldly shooting performance and defensive masterclass in the World Cup. Brooks shot a blistering 59.4% from the field, including 58.8% from three on four attempts per game. 

In the bronze medal game against the United States, he set a record for the most points — 39 — by a Canadian in a single World Cup game. Yet it was his defensive performance that garnered the accolades as Brooks was named the defensive player of the tournament.

For all the bravado, the manner in which Brooks competes, trains, and performs are only spoken about positively in interviews with teammates and coaches. Nobody has a belief in himself, and in this team, quite like Dillon Brooks.

The Plouffe Sisters Make Olympic Return

Twin sisters Katherine and Michelle Plouffe will return to the Olympic Games in a different capacity in Paris 2024. Both sisters represented Canada as members of the women’s five on five national team at Rio 2016, with Michelle also competing at London 2012.

The move to 3×3 has been a resounding success as they rank first and third, respectively, in the FIBA 3×3 Individual World Rankings, and have helped Canada rack up a number of tournament wins on the top international circuit.

Most notably, Canada captured its second consecutive FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series title in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia last year with Michelle leading the tournament in points and earning MVP honours.

READ: Canada wins second straight FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Title

Meanwhile, Katherine was named MVP at the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Debrecen, Hungary, as she led Canada to the Olympic qualification. The team is rounded out by Paige Crozon and Kacie Bosch who will both make their Olympic debuts at Paris 2024.

With all of the success they’ve had over the years on the circuit, don’t be surprised if Canada’s best shot at a basketball gold medal comes via the 3×3 tournament.