[anyclip pubname=”2123″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8169″]
Newly signed Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks is among several NBA players likely to represent Canada in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, according to an initial roster release. The 27-year-old is a native of Mississauga, Ontario.
Held Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, this will be the 19th FIBA Basketball World Cup for men’s national basketball teams. The 2023 version of the tournament is the second to feature 32 teams, and it will be hosted by multiple nations (the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia) for the first time in its history.
Beyond Brooks, Canada’s initial 18-player World Cup roster features Nuggets star Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, an All-Star guard from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Other NBA players on the Canadian roster, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, include Utah’s Kelly Olynyk, a former Rocket; Minnesota’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker; New York’s R.J. Barrett; Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort; Boston’s Oshae Brissett; Golden State’s Cory Joseph; and Dallas’ Dwight Powell.
Canada’s roster will be trimmed from 18 players entering training camp to 12 for the competition. Assuming health, Brooks should have a strong chance of making the final cut, since he’s among the most accomplished NBA players of the lot and arguably the team’s toughest perimeter defender.
[lawrence-related id=115290,115244]