Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins announced his commitment to Team Canada on Monday via social media as the team looks to secure an Olympic berth this summer at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Wiggins, who hadn’t played for Canada since the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, became the first NBA player to officially join the team in hopes of qualifying for the Summer Olympics for the first time since Sydney in 2000.
While other rising Canadian talents like Dillon Brooks, RJ Barrett, Luguentz Dort, and Khem Birch haven’t officially announced their decision to join the national team, they’ve all expressed interest in playing, which could mark a pivotal year for Canadian basketball.
But first, the national team will have to compete in a qualifying tournament that also includes Greece, Turkey, China, Czech Republic, and Uruguay — all of whom are vying for a spot at the Tokyo Games. The event takes place from June 29-July 4 in Victoria, B.C., with the winner moving on to the Olympics.
Canada has produced a slew of top-tier NBA players in recent years, with a record-breaking 17 Canadians on 2020-21 opening-night rosters. That total earned the country the distinction of having the most international-born players in the league for the seventh consecutive season.
As for Wiggins, the former first-overall pick enjoyed a career resurgence this season with the Warriors, averaging 18.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc — both career-highs.
More from Yahoo Sports