Canadian NBA Players: Over the NBA’s history, 54 Canadian basketball players have advanced to the professional level. Out of the 54 players, thirty are currently active NBA players or have participated in at least one game in the 2023–24 season. Of this group of players, Shai Gilgeous Alexander stands out as an All-Star and a serious MVP contender. Alexander is the best player to have ever emerged from Canada, according to former NBA point guard Stephon Marbury.
It might be premature to crown Gilgeous-Alexander the King of Canada, even if he has emerged as one of the league’s top players, particularly in the previous two seasons. We examine the top 10 Canadian NBA players in league history based on their career statistics, honours, and achievements.
The All-Time Top 10 Canadian NBA Players
1. Steve Nash
Steve Nash continues to be the greatest Canadian in the NBA for the time being. One of the best point guards in NBA history, the two-time MVP guided the Phoenix Suns’ inventive and successful offence in the 2000s under head coach Mike D’Antoni.
It wouldn’t be until his sixth NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks in 2002 that Nash was selected for his first All-Star team. From 1999 to 2004, Nash played with the Mavericks for six seasons, averaging 14.6 points and 7.2 assists per contest. He was selected to both the All-Star team and the NBA Team Third Team twice.
Nash then proceeded to Phoenix to meet up with the franchise that had picked him. Nash, who averaged 14.4 points and 9.4 assists per game on 50/40/90 shooting splits, would lead the Suns to some of their finest seasons in team history over the course of the following eight seasons. Nash would win MVP honours twice in a row in 2005 and 2006, averaging 17.2 points and 11.0 assists per game for Phoenix. After Bob Houbregs in 1987, Nash became the second Canadian player elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
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2. Andrew Wiggins
On the list of the best Canadians in NBA history, Andrew Wiggins is currently holding a shaky second place. Upon joining the Cleveland Cavaliers, the former first-overall selection pick was exposed to the negative aspects of the industry as he was dealt to the Timberwolves in a transaction that sent Kevin Love to the Cavaliers before he had ever played in an NBA game.
With Minnesota, Wiggins went on to win Rookie of the Year after averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 43.7%. Wiggins would stay with Minnesota for five more seasons, scoring 19.7 points and pulling down 4.3 rebounds per outing. Wiggins has played for the Golden State Warriors for the past five seasons, and to put it mildly, it has not been an easy journey.
Wiggins had his most significant season in 2022, leading the Warriors to an NBA title while playing a significant two-way role. Averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game, Wiggins shut down players like Michael Porter Jr., Luka Doncic, and Jayson Tatum on the defensive end during one postseason run. Among the five players from Canada with at least 3,000 rebounds, Wiggins is one of just two with over 10,000 career points.
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Should this ranking be only based on abilities and statistics, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might easily be in the lead. Gilgeous-Alexander has reached extraordinary heights since joining the NBA in 2018–19, particularly in the previous two seasons.
In the Clippers’ trade for Paul George, Gilgeous-Alexander was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder following an outstanding rookie year with the Los Angeles Clippers. He has skillfully guided the Thunder’s rebuild over the course of five seasons, becoming one of the league’s best all-around players.
In 49.8% of the games played since 2019–20, he has averaged 25.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.4 steals. In 2022–2023 he scored an incredible 31.4 points per game on 51.0% shooting, good enough to earn him his first nominations to the NBA First Team and All-Star team. Following that, Gilgeous-Alexander was selected as an All-Star starter in 2023–24 after averaging 31.1 points, 6.5 assists, and 2.2 steals in 53 games.
4. Jamal Murray
Point guard Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets has amassed enough experience and achievements to rank among the best five Canadian players of all time, despite his lack of individual recognition. Following a season in which he placed sixth in the Rookie of the Year competition in 2016–17, Murray was named the Nuggets’ starting full-time player in his second campaign.
Murray has since continued to play at an All-Star level for Denver even though he has never received praise for his efforts. Murray made an incredible impression after being out for a year and a half in 2021 and 2022 because of an ACL tear. Murray averaged 26.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game on 47.3% shooting during the Denver Nuggets’ 2022–2023 playoff run, which helped the team win its first-ever title.
5. Rick Fox
Thirteen-year NBA veteran and three-time NBA champion Rick Fox completes the list of the best five Canadian players of all time in the NBA. After being selected with the 24th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in 1991, Fox played his first six seasons in Beantown. Fox averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game during those six seasons.
As a free agent, Fox joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1997 and stayed there until the conclusion of his career in 2004. From 2000 to 2002, Fox played a significant role on three Lakers championship teams, starting as a major defender for some of the NBA’s most gifted scoring wings. With 8,966 points at the end of his career, Fox is third in the Canadian NBA’s scoring history. He also leads in steals with 967.
6. Tristan Thompson
Just outside the top five Canadian NBA players of all time is Tristan Thompson. Over his 13-year NBA career, Thompson leads all players who were born in Canada with 6,260 total rebounds and is sixth in points (6,727).
After being selected fourth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011, Thompson performed the majority of his significant damage with the team from 2012 to 2020. The Cavaliers used Thompson as a powerful and commanding presence in the paint during the 2010s, which ultimately contributed to the team’s lone title in club history in 2016. Thompson is sixth in blocks and third in rebounds in Cavaliers club history.
7. Jamaal Magloire
Even though Jamaal Magloire is a journeyman in his career, he manages to rank towards the bottom of the list of the best 10 Canadian NBA players ever. Over the course of 12 NBA seasons, Magloire played for eight different clubs, including the Hornets, Bucks, Trail Blazers, Nets, Mavericks, Heat, and Raptors. The longest period of time Magloire spent with the Hornets during their move from Charlotte to New Orleans was from 2001 to 2005.
During the 2003–04 season, Magloire averaged 13.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, earning him his first and only All-Star selection in his career. With 4,917 points, which ranks 10th among players born in Canada, and 4,408 rebounds, which ranks second, Magloire would conclude his career.
8. RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett ranks eighth among the greatest Canadian NBA players of all time, despite a career devoid of individual honours and team accomplishments worthy of a better ranking. Coming out of Duke, Barrett was selected by the New York Knicks as the third overall pick in 2019.
Barrett saw ups and downs throughout the course of the following four and a half seasons, but in the end, he emerged as one of the Knicks’ best players. Barrett averaged 18.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 42/34/72 shooting splits in 297 games with New York. Barrett would be traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2023–24; in these games, he has only appeared in 19. He has already averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 54.9% shooting from the field and 36.6% from three in those 19 games.
9. Bill Wennington
Bill Wennington played for the Mavericks, Kings, and Bulls for 13 years, although he was by no means an All-Star. In spite of this, he will always have some significance among Canadian players as a member of a dynasty that went on to win three NBA championships—even if they didn’t play a key role.
Between 1986 and 1991, Wennington spent six seasons in the NBA, scoring just 4.1 points and grabbing 3.2 rebounds per contest on average. Wennington spent two years abroad in Italy before joining the Bulls in 1993–94 to make his NBA comeback. Wennington was a key player off the bench for Chicago from 1996 to 1998 as they won three consecutive NBA titles. Among Canadian players in NBA history, Wennington ranks 14th with 3,307 points and 8th with 2,148 rebounds in his career.
10. Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk, an NBA veteran of 11 years, has, in some ways, outperformed expectations throughout his career. Olynyk spent the first four seasons of his career with the Celtics, where he was selected with the 13th overall choice in the 2013 NBA Draft. In that period, he played a very good physical enforcer role in the paint, averaging 9.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Olynyk has played for the Heat, Rockets, Pistons, Jazz, and Raptors among five other clubs from 2017–18. With an average of 10.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game since 2018, he is still a highly valued and sought-after teammate for many despite his new residence. His attitude to the game has also remained constant. Olynyk is fifth among Canadian players in NBA history with 7,427 points, and third with 3,774 rebounds.
