As talked about in an article in an earlier issue, basketball is a global sport. Being once dominated by Americans in an American-based league in the form of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the world has crept up slowly but surely to catch up to the talent level. In the 30 years since the United States basketball debuted its legendary Olympic “Dream Team'' in 1992, nations have begun to showcase their own international stars. Examples of this can start with the two generations of the Lithuanian father-son duo of Arvydas and Domantas Sabonis. Arvydas was a Euroleague star in the 1990s before joining the NBA late in his career, and Domantas is currently a three-time NBA all-star and All-NBA recipient this past season. Spain’s brother duo of Pau and Marc Gasol are legends of the game for their success in the mid-2000s to late 2010s. In today’s NBA, many of the game's superstars were born overseas, to the point where in ESPN’s pre-season ranking of the NBA’s best players, the top four players were all born overseas.
With a more global game comes an even more global audience for the NBA, and amongst that fanbase are many individuals from within our campus. Two of Andrews University's Canadian students shared their thoughts on their country’s success, the state of international basketball, and their thoughts on the United States’ American talent.
Interviews with Matthew Bourne (sophomore, music) and Avery Handy (sophomore, architecture)
What expectations did you have for the Canadian team going into the FIBA tournament?
Matthew Bourne: I had silver [medal] in mind, because I thought we had a good enough team that could beat other countries, but I wasn’t sure we had a good enough team to beat the USA. I [originally] had gold [medal in mind], but when Jamal Murray backed out I was like ‘silver might be a more realistic expectation.’
Avery Handy: I had quite high hopes for the Canadian team. They are known to perform well in these competitions, so I guess you could say I had high expectations.
How did you expect the third-place match against the US to go?
MB: I expected Canada to lose, cause USA has so much young talent on their team and…are more talented. But I guess they didn’t have the chemistry that they needed yet with each other that team Canada might have had.
AH: Like many other Canadian basketball fans, we knew this game wasn’t going to be an easy win for either team. There’s tons of talent from both countries, so I definitely knew the Canadian team could stand a chance and take the win like they did.
Do you see the Canadian team progressing or regressing going into the 2024 Olympics?
MB: I see them progressing. I feel like we’re producing more top athletes in Canada with more prep schools. Recently, we’ve had Shaedon Sharpe, who went to [The University of Kentucky] and made a huge storm there. He’s playing really good in the NBA right now, and then of course Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] and Jamal Murray. So, I feel like we’ll have a lot of good players coming out of Canada [soon].
AH: I think the Canadian team will have a great run and progress well in the Olympics next year. They’ll definitely go far if they improve and push offensively against teams.
With the US rumored to have more star players on their roster for Paris 2024, do you expect them to be more of a threat?
MB: Absolutely. They are much more of a threat because the people who are rumored to come have been playing with each other for years, on either previous Team USA teams or on All-Star teams. So, I feel like the chemistry that this Team USA was lacking they’ll definitely make up for. And the skill they’ll make up for too, because the guys who are rumored to come are like their top guys.
AH: Oh definitely. That potentially brings a higher level of competitiveness in these games that the Canadian team would have to make adjustments for and prepare to face.
Why do you think so many players from the NBA opt not to participate in FIBA?
MB: They probably don’t get paid as much as they’d like to, and a lot of them don’t like risking getting hurt in FIBA and then it affects their actual job in the NBA where they get millions of dollars. …So mainly pay and lacking a lot of passion.
AH: There could be a few reasons why NBA players sit out. I think it primarily comes down to reducing the chances of injury during the offseason. It would absolutely suck to choose to participate in an optional competition and get injured right before the preseason.
Who’s your favorite basketball player, Canadian or otherwise?
MB: My favorite Canadian player is Jamal Murray, and my favorite NBA player is Demar Derozan.
AH: This is tough. I am biased as a Canadian, so I’d have to say my favorite player at this current moment is Scottie Barnes. I just like his playing style. I’ll be honest, Ja Morant definitely held this position prior to the mess surrounding him. Also, longtime Chris Bosh fan from childhood. Couldn’t tell you why, just really admired the man and the Heat in general at the time with [Dwyane] Wade and Lebron [James].
While the current state of Team USA basketball may be a bit difficult to decipher, the state of general international basketball will only continue to improve. Along with the NBA containing more overseas stars, the league seeks to increase its global market and footprint through different charitable initiatives and by hosting games in Mexico City and Paris. No matter what happens in next year’s Summer Olympics, the sport of basketball should be in for a very prosperous future.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.