With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard set to take the floor, four Canadians will appear in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year—tying the national record first set in 2024 by Oshae Brissett, AJ Lawson, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Dwight Powell.
This back-to-back milestone reflects not only the continued rise of Canadian athletes at the sport’s highest level, but also the sustained impact of Canada Basketball’s long-term investment in player development, high-performance programming and international experience.
From grassroots to the global stage, Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Mathurin and Nembhard each represent a generation of athletes shaped through Canada Basketball’s age-group teams, national training camps and senior program.
“To see four homegrown players competing for an NBA championship is a testament to the depth, resilience, and world-class players being developed in Canada,” said Rowan Barrett, general manager and executive vice-president of men’s high performance at Canada Basketball. “We couldn’t be prouder of what this means for our country and for the continued growth of the game.”
Gilgeous-Alexander enters the Finals as the 2024–25 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player and 2025 scoring champion, having led the Thunder to their first Finals appearance since 2012. Dort, who finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, has earned acclaim for his elite on-ball defence throughout the postseason.
On the Eastern Conference side, Mathurin and Nembhard—both drafted in 2022—have been instrumental in Indiana’s run to the Finals, showcasing the maturity and poise of a rising generation of Canadian pros.
The consecutive years of record-matching participation in the NBA Finals further underscores the depth of Canada’s basketball pipeline—from the Junior Academy to national age-group teams and senior rosters.
