Nick Nurse was about to launch into his pitch to Canada’s NBA players last summer in Las Vegas, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander interrupted him.
“[Gilgeous-Alexander] said ‘I’ve gotta say something,”‘ Nurse said. “He stood up and said ‘I’m playing.’ I hadn’t even got to ask the question yet and so that just shows you he’s ready to go.”
Nurse had asked Canada’s best players, who’d been notoriously tough to pin down in previous years, to commit to playing three summers with the national team through the Paris Olympics.
Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t played for Canada since he was 17 due to NBA commitments. But three days out from Canada’s World Cup qualifying game on Friday in his hometown of Hamilton, the 23-year-old was all smiles.
The Canadians, who are 8-0 through two windows of qualifying, host the Dominican Republic on Friday at FirstOntario Centre.
This week marks the first gathering of Nurse’s “core” of summer players, and has seen arguably the most talented collection of Canadian players ever practising at OVO Athletic Centre, normally home to the Toronto Raptors.
Gilgeous-Alexander, Utah guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dallas forward Dwight Powell and Detroit centre Kelly Olynyk are on the playing roster. R.J. Barrett (New York), Oshae Brissett (Indiana), Khem Birch (Toronto), Luguentz Dort (Oklahoma City), Jamal Murray (Denver) and Kevin Pangos (CSKA Moscow) are at camp, but won’t play in this window.
“I’m committed. Everything’s worked out and I’ll be with the team going forward,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.
Career high season
The Oklahoma City star guard is coming off an ankle injury that kept him out of the Thunder’s final 10 games of the season. He was limited to 56 contests in 2021-22 due to injuries. He was impressive in the games he did play, setting career highs of 24.5 points, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game, and tying a career-best mark with an average of 5.9 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t played on the same team as his cousin (Alexander-Walker), nor played in Hamilton since high school.
“Playing with him this time will be fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Both of us have gotten a lot better. Our tandem should be better. Myself more of a driver, himself more of a…
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