Kitchener’s Jamal Murray joining 'best Canadian team ever' at Paris Olympics
Kitchener, Ont. native Jamal Murray is taking his shot at getting a gold medal.
The point guard confirmed his commitment to play for the Canadian men’s basketball team at the 2024 Olympic Games, after the Denver Nuggets’ Game 7 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA’s Western Conference Semi-Finals.
Murray is expected to join fellow Canadians Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, R.J. Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Luguentz Dort, Dillon Brooks, Dwight Powell and Andrew Wiggins.
“This is the best Canadian team ever put together in the history of this country,” TSN NBA analyst Wesley Cheng told CTV News. “I don’t want to throw it out there and say [a] medal is the expectation, but this team definitely has a shot at the podium.”
This will mark the Canadian men’s basketball team’s first trip to the Olympic Games in 24 years, when Steve Nash led them to a 5-2 record and 7th place finish.
Excitement is also growing for the sport, especially in Waterloo Region.
Growing the game
In Kitchener, the KW Titans say they’re seeing more fan interest in the game.
“I am actually blown away at how committed some people are to the [Titans],” said team owner David Schooley.
As of Wednesday, the Titans sit two wins away from clinching a Basketball Super League Championship over the London Lightning.
Ticket sales, Schooley added, have gone up by 60 per cent since the start of the season.
Youth basketball
The Kitchener-Waterloo Youth Basketball Association (KW YBA) said it’s also seen a steady increase in participation and the quality of play for boys and girls, thanks in large part to the Canadian star power in both the men’s and women’s game.
“The success of the Jamal Murrays, Andrew Wiggins, Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort [and] Aaliyah Edwards legitimize for the kids the potential to take this sport seriously,” KW YBA president John Illingworth told CTV News.
It’s not just the excitement around the game, he said, but the affordability that opens more doors for kids to play.
“Some of our more traditional sports are less accessible,” Illingworth explained. “Basketball, it doesn’t cost a lot for kids to play even at a high level compared to hockey or football.”
Ready for the Olympics
The 2024 Olympics in Paris, France kicks off July 26.
This will be the Canadian men’s basketball team’s 10th appearance at the games. Canada, ranked seventh, will play in Group A alongside Australia, and the winners of upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournaments held in early July.
“The fact that they’re going to be a competitive team during this run in the Olympics, that should definitely infatuate and enamor a lot of kids [who] look to play basketball,” Cheng said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Biden to speak Wednesday about his decision to drop 2024 re-election bid
U.S. President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening on his decision to drop his 2024 Democratic reelection bid.
Waterloo, Ont. woman out thousands for car totalled by stolen hit-and-run driver
A woman in Waterloo, Ont. is out thousands of dollars for a car crash she wasn’t involved in.
DEVELOPING Wildfire near Jasper National Park prompts evacuation order and highway closures
Multiple wildfires in Jasper National Park flared up with a vengeance late Monday night, forcing all park visitors along with the 4,700 residents of the Jasper townsite to flee west with little notice over mountain roads through darkness, soot, and ash.
Do you need a lawyer when making a will in Canada?
Many people believe that creating a will requires the services of a lawyer, but this isn't always the case. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew explains a lawyer's role when crafting your last will and testament.
BREAKING U.S. Secret Service director resigns after Trump assassination attempt
The director of the Secret Service is stepping down from her job, according to an email she sent to staff, following the assassination attempt against former U.S. president Donald Trump that unleashed intensifying outcry about how the agency tasked with protecting current and former presidents could fail in its core mission.
Quebec mom devastated after man who killed her daughter in hit-and-run gets out after 5 months
A Montreal-area mother is furious with Quebec's justice system because the man who killed her 25-year-old daughter in a 2022 hit-and-run was released from jail after only serving one-sixth of his sentence behind bars.
'They are not taking this decision lightly': Wildfire forces Williams Lake, B.C., seniors homes to move residents
Firefighters continue to battle raging wildfires in B.C.’s Cariboo Region, and concern is growing that recent weather could worsen the situation.
BREAKING Polar bear at Calgary Zoo died by drowning following 'crushing' injury
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo has revealed the cause of death for polar bear Baffin.
Edmonton gas station employee found guilty of terrorism charges in the U.K.
An Edmonton man has been convicted of multiple charges under the Terrorism Act in the United Kingdom.