First Black player on national team is still waiting for Basketball Canada to set record straight

The first Black player to ever play on a national team says he was snubbed by the country's national sporting organization for basketball when they first recognized another player for his achievement.

Barry Howson, from London, Ont. is now in his 80s and has had a full career as a teacher, basketball player, Olympian and high school coach.

In 1964, he was the first Black player to make the national team when he played at the Tokyo Olympics. So when Basketball Canada finally recognized the first Black player who played for Team Canada in 2022 he was surprised because the man who was being honoured was someone else.

"Peter "Doc" Ryan called me and told me I should be the recipient after he'd already been interviewed," Howson said.

Ryan was chosen to play on Team Canada for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, though Canada ended up boycotting the event because of the ongoing Soviet-Afghan War and he would ultimately never play on the world stage.

Canada Basketball updated its information to indicate that Ryan was one of the first Black players after learning of the mistake. The organizaton said Ryan's contribution also helped amplify Black Canadian players, coaches and officials who are not in the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, said Matthew Walker, director of communications and content for Canada Basketball.

"Mr. Howson was previously inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame," Walker said. In 2001, Howson was recognized by the organization for his contributions in advancing and enriching basketball in the country.

But Howson said he has so far been unsuccessful in being officially recognized as the first player to represent Canada. 

Representatives of Canada Basketball have been in touch with Howson to explain that he