On Thursday night, Toronto’s Anthony Bennett became the first Canadian ever to be selected first overall in an NBA Draft.
At approximately 7:35 pm ET – or 7:32 pm if you were frantically refreshing your Twitter feed and follow the onsite hoops reporters who broke the news before NBA commissioner David Stern – the sports world was collectively shocked: A Canadian was called first overall, that name wasn’t Andrew Wiggins and we were still in the year 2013.
This wasn’t the script anyone had been given, including Bennett himself. Shortly before the draft started, his agent texted me saying, “We’re all excited!” They didn’t know they were about to make history. Then again, it’s taken time for the NBA and its players, journalists and fans to catch up with the strides Canadian basketball has made in recent years.
The 20-year-old Brampton native spent one season at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he averaged 16.1 points and eight rebounds per game. An undersized power forward standing just 6-foot-7, Bennett drew comparisons to fellow UNLV alum Larry Johnson. It was expected he would be a high lottery pick, mocks had him going anywhere from third to eighth.
Everyone knows Wiggins – the Canadian high-schooler who’s already covered SLAM and owns two nicknames, Maple Jordan and Air Canada. He’s the consensus choice to go first overall in 2014 when he is draft eligible, after his anticipated one-and-done year at the University of Kansas. Wiggins was mentioned so often by ESPN’s draft panel last night we could have made a drinking game out of it and felt lightheaded midway through the first round.
Still, despite the Wiggins hype, Canadian hoopers as a group haven’t received their due. Until last night, of course.
The most viewed NBA Draft telecast since the LeBron James-led star-studded class of 2003, the 2013 picks also included British Columbia’s Kelly Olynyk, who was selected 13th overall, making a little more history as it marked the first time two Canadians had ever been selected in the NBA lottery (the highly regarded top-14 picks).
With Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph being drafted in the first round in 2011, Steve Nash signing on as the general manager of the Senior Men’s National Team, and all eyes on each and every step Wiggins will take next season, Canada is having a moment.
After walking across the stage as the first rookie of 2013 to shake Stern’s hand last night, there was plenty of love for Bennett – a tweet from Stephen Harper, love from Steve Nash and scores of excited tweets from young Canadian hoop heads with hoop dreams that became a little more tangible thanks to his accomplishment.
Minutes after he was selected by the Cavaliers, draft hat on head, bewildered smile on face, Bennett spoke to media with a calmness that belied his surprise.
“There’s no agendas for me,” Bennett said. “I just want to be successful, win championships, and you know, just win games.”
No agendas, just a 20-year-old changing the landscape of Canadian basketball as we know it.
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