The 20 greatest Canadian basketball players of all time

Hailing from Toronto, Barrett is among the all-time great high school basketball players and has been a standout for the Canadian national program. Barrett then earned All-American status during his one college season at Duke (2018-19), averaging 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The No. 3 overall pick by New York in 2019, Barrett has averaged 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists through his first six NBA seasons with the Knicks and Toronto. Playing 58 games for his hometown Raptors in 2024-25, he set career highs in average points (21.1), rebounds (6.3) and assists (5.4).

Currently one of the NBA's top defenders, Brooks, hailing from the Toronto area, has also averaged 14.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in eight seasons -- with Memphis and Houston before being traded to Phoenix -- since breaking into the league in 2017-18. Brooks, the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2017 while at Oregon, was also named Best Defensive Player at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, while helping Canada win the bronze medal.

Another Toronto native, Carr is one of the most prolific NCAA scorers to hail from Canada. In February 2023, Carr became Canada's all-time NCAA scoring leader, and when his five-season, 164-game college career ended, he had totaled 2,350 points while playing for Pittsburgh Minnesota and Texas. That mark has since been topped, leaving Carr second on said list. An all-conference performer for two different leagues (Big Ten, Big 12), Carr also dished out 751 collegiate assists, which also ranks among the most by a Canadian.

While it remains to be seen how the 7-foot-4 Edey does in the NBA following a serviceable rookie campaign for Memphis, he's arguably the greatest Canadian to play NCAA basketball. In addition to being the all-time leading Canadian scorer in NCAA history with 2,516 points (spanning 138 games for Purdue), Edey joins legends Bill Walton and Ralph Sampson as the only guys to win the Naismith Award (as national player of the year) in back-to-back seasons (2023, '24). During those final two seasons for the Boilermakers, Toronto's Edey averaged a combined 23.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists while recording 156 blocks.

Dating back to 1946, when it comes to Canadian-born players, nobody has played more NBA games than Fox's 930, recorded more assists (2,649) or steals (967) than this 13-year NBA star. A standout at North Carolina, the Toronto native Fox was part of the Los Angeles Lakers' run of three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. Fox also ranks in the top 10 among Canadian-born NBA players in points (8,966), rebounds (3,517) and 3-point makes (771) while playing from 1992-2004.

Arguably the best player in the NBA, at the moment. The man known as "SGA" became the fourth player in NBA history to win regular-season MVP, Finals MVP, and a scoring title (32.7 ppg) in the same season during his memorable 2024-25 campaign. The Toronto native, who also prepped in Hamilton, was drafted 11th overall in 2018, but took a couple of seasons to become one of the game's best. In terms of Canadian-born players, Gilgeous-Alexander, as of June 2025, averages an NBA-best 24.4 career points, and sits second in league history with 11,294 points and a 50.1 shooting percentage.

One of the great Canadian post-players of all time, Hansen was born in Denmark, but his family moved to British Columbia when he was two years old. At 6-foot-10, Hansen enjoyed a solid career at the University of Washington, where he averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds as a senior in 1975-76. Hansen enjoyed his most notable professional success while playing in Europe, but did play 15 games for the 1978-79 NBA champion Seattle SuperSonics. He was also a standout for the Canadian national team and a member of the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.

From Vancouver, Houbregs headed south to star at the University of Washington. With the Huskies, he was a two-time All-American and national player of the year in 1952-53, when he led the Huskies to the Final Four. Houbregs averaged 34.8 points during that postseason and he scored a then-NCAA Final Four contest record 42 points during the third-place game versus LSU. Houbregs then played five NBA seasons (1954-'58), recording more than 2,600 points 1,500 rebounds. Houbregs is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

When it comes to Canadian basketball talent, Joseph might be the most underrated talent on this list. Another Toronto native, Joseph just completed his 14th NBA season in 2024-25. He won an NBA championship with San Antonio in his third season. A standout defensive player, Joseph, who's played for seven different NBA franchises as of June 2025, has recorded more than 5,800 points, 2,500 assists, 2,000 rebounds and 600 steals on his career. He also served as captain of the Canadian national team.

Before Gilgeous-Alexander made the leap from Kentucky, where he won a national title in 1998, to NBA stardom, Toronto's Magloire was just the second Canadian player to be named an All-Star -- in 2003-04, while playing for the New Orleans Hornets. The 6-11 Magloire played from 2001 to 2012, and is first among Canadian-born players with 603 blocks, and sits second with 4,408 career rebounds. 

From 2001-02-2004-05, Montreal's Mendez totaled 2,210 points and 1,053 rebounds during his standout four-year career at Niagara. He was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 2005, when he averaged a career-high 23.5 points and 10.6 rebounds. Though Mendez never played in the NBA, he enjoyed various levels of pro success in Europe and Asia, and was a longtime contributor for Team Canada.

Another Canadian who starred at Kentucky, Murray was part of the Team Canada squad that won silver at the 2015 Pan American Games. However, most impressive is that Murray has blossomed into one of the NBA's best players since joining the league with Denver in 2016. He's averaged at least 20 points in four straight seasons (2021-'25) and helped the Nuggets win the 2023 NBA championship. Among Canadian-born players, the Ontario native should become the third such performer to record at least 10,000 career points during the 2025-26 campaign. Murray also leads all Canadian natives with a 38.1 3-point shooting percentage and 87 percent shooting from the free-throw line. 

Though Nash has long been regarded as the greatest basketball player to come out of Canada, fans tend to forget he was not born there, but in South Africa. His family moved to Saskatchewan when Nash was an infant, then to the capital of British Columbia, Victoria. After starring at Santa Clara, Nash played 18 NBA seasons, earning eight All-Star selections and was named NBA MVP in 2005 and '06, while playing for the Phoenix Suns. His 10,335 career assists rank fifth in league history, while his 8.5 average assists is 11th-best all time. Nash, who also scored more than 17,300 points in the NBA, starred for the Canadian national team from 1991-2003, and served as general manager of the program from 2012 to '19. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame  in 2018.

After a solid collegiate career at Florida and Gonzaga, Nembhard is already making a name for himself in just three NBA seasons. In 2024-25, Nembhard set career highs for points (10.0), assists (5.0), rebounds (3.3) and steals (1.2) while helping Indiana reach the NBA Finals. Among Canadian-born players, the Ontario native already ranks ninth with 947 assists.

Toronto's Olynyk was an All-American and the 2013 West Coast Conference Player of the Year while enjoying a stellar collegiate career at Gonzaga. Then it was off to the NBA, where the 6-11 Olynyk just completed his 12th season from 2024-25. Among Canadian-born NBA players, Olynyk, who has played for seven different franchises, ranks among the top five in points (8,139), field-goal percentage (48.6), free-throw percentage (79.6), rebounds (4,124) and blocks (370). 

A college teammate of Kelly Olynyk, Ontario's Pangos is beloved by the Gonzaga basketball community. A four-time first-team All-West Coast Conference selection and the league's player of the year in 2015, Pangos started all but one of the 142 games he played for the Zags. He's the school's all-time leader with 322 made 3-pointers. Though Pangos' NBA career, to date, spanned 24 games in 2021-22 with Cleveland, he was named Lithuanian League Foreign Player of the Year (2018) and an All-EuroLeague performer. Pangos has also achieved individual success as a member of Team Canada at various international events. 

From Toronto, Powell was a two-time All-Pac-12 First Team selection and has followed with a solid NBA career that just reached its 11th season in 2024-25. All but five games of his career have come with Dallas, where Powell has totaled more than 4,700 points, 2,900 rebounds, 700 assists, 400 steals and 300 blocks. 

The Brampton, Ontario native has been one of the most dependable NBA performers since he was selected fourth overall by Cleveland in 2011 draft. Thompson, who helped the Cavaliers win their first NBA title in 2016, ranks first among Canadian-born players with 6,428 rebounds. He also tops such a list for field-goal percentage (52.0) and ranks eighth with 6,822 career points. Thompson has also starred for the Canadian national team.

A long-time standout on the Canadian national team, Wennington is one of the most popular hoopers to hail from Canada. The Montreal native is a member of both the Quebec Basketball Hall of Fame and the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame. However, Wennington is best known for his standout career at St. John's, followed by his three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls (1996-98). During his 13-year NBA career (1986-2000), Wennington totaled more than 3,300 points and 2,148 rebounds.

The No. 1 overall pick by Cleveland in the 2014 NBA Draft (then traded to Minnesota), Toronto's Wiggins is still going strong upon completing his 11th NBA season in 2024-25. The NBA Rookie of the Year in 2015 with the Timberwolves, Wiggins leads all Canadian-born players with 14,169 points, joining SGA as the only such performers to top 10,000. Wiggins' 1,147 3-pointers are also the most by a native of Canada, while he ranks in the top 10 among Canadian-born NBA players for rebounds (6,428), assists (1,755), steals (742) and blocks (518). A member of the Canadian national team, Wiggins earned his first All-Star nod and NBA title while with Golden State in 2021-22.