Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray among record 27 Canadians in NBA to start season

Another year, another record set for Canadians in the NBA.

Canada set a new mark with 27 players on an NBA roster for the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign. It's the 10th straight season Canada has been the most represented country in the league outside the United States.

The 27 represents a four-player increase from the start of last season.

"We know that NBA players drive interest in their home countries and region," deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said on a Zoom call last week. "Last year, we saw viewership in Canada grow some 13 per cent … largely in part because of the level of talent that we're seeing in Canada."

The list is headlined by first-team all-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, guard Jamal Murray of the defending champion Denver Nuggets and all-star forward Andrew Wiggins of the 2022 champion Golden State Warriors.

Gilgeous-Alexander was among the athletes who helped further drive interest to the Canadian basketball scene in the summer. Canada had seven NBA players on its 12-man roster for the FIBA World Cup, led by Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks of the Houston Rockets.

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Canada defeated the U.S. in the bronze-medal game at the World Cup in September, its first-ever medal and first time defeating the Americans at the competition. The tournament bumped Canada from 15th to sixth in the world rankings.

Gilgeous-Alexander, from Hamilton, was named a tournament all-star with averages of 24.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Brooks, meanwhile, set a Canadian single-game scoring record for most points in a World Cup with 39 in the medal game.

"It was a terrific competition for Team