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There's never been a year like this, with so many Canadians amongst best in the sport.
Published Jan 04, 2026 • 6 minute read
Canadian basketball stars SGA and NAW
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right) shoots over Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker during the second half of an NBA game on Dec. 29, 2025, in Oklahoma City. Photo by Nate Billings /The Associated Press
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Nickeil Alexander-Walker has reshaped expectations of what he can do on a basketball court, even if many always believed in him.
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Alexander-Walker, who hails from Toronto, has come into his own with the Atlanta Hawks after playing for three other teams over his first six seasons in the NBA. He became the fifth Canadian to score at least 30 points in a game at Toronto on Saturday and the Hawks play the Raptors again north of the border on Monday.
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Alexander-Walker has averaged 20.7 points and 3.2 assists for Atlanta, helping to replace four-time all-star point guard Trae Young, who has spent much of the season on the sidelines due to injuries.
He got philosophical when asked why his career has kicked into another gear since signing as a free agent with the Hawks.
“Too much cumulative things and you put them all together. And little things like little, small little deeds, over time become big when you add them all up,” Alexander-Walker said post-game Saturday.
“I’ve gotten really good at putting the small pieces together from my circle, the guys that helped me out in the summer, trainers, to guys on the team being so welcoming to me, allowing me to step into this role, or cheering me on, and so to the organization, to the team, the city, like it’s really more than just me going out there, putting up numbers or even just working hard,” he said.
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He added that a trade from New Orleans to Utah in the latter part of his third season helped him really realize what it meant to be a professional and what he might be capable of.
“When I got there, it kicked into hyperdrive who I was and who I am today. And I think slowly, I started building on that, and now it’s starting to just really take off,” he said. Alexander-Walker later found a big role with Minnesota, helping that franchise find some rare success before he was priced out and signed with the Hawks.
For friend and Canadian national team colleague RJ Barrett, Alexander-Walker’s breakout didn’t come out of nowhere.
“Nickeil literally can play basketball with both hands, like equally good, since high school. So it’s not really a surprise,” Barrett told a couple of reporters.
“He’s been one of the most skilled players I’ve grown up playing against. And I think when you work out with your cousin, who’s the MVP (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), probably, arguably the best player in the world, when you work out with that guy every day, I think you’ll be all right at some point,” Barrett said with a laugh.
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“He’s getting his opportunity, and he’s shining. It’s tough to come in, I think he was the 17th pick, tough to come in (to that) situation. And then every time he’s gone to a new place he’s gotten better and better every year.”
OTHER CANADIANS SHINING BRIGHTLY
Alexander-Walker and Gilgeous-Alexander, who could cruise to a second straight MVP award if Denver’s Nikola Jokic doesn’t play enough games to qualify, aren’t the only Canadians having big-time seasons. In fact, it could be argued that this country’s hoops depth has never been more impressive.
Widely considered the best active player to never make an all-star game, Jokic’s Denver teammate Jamal Murray, of Kitchener, is nearly a lock to make the mid-season star-fest in Los Angeles. Murray is averaging 25.4 points, four more than his previous best, is shooting a career-high 45.5% on three-pointers (only three players in the league have hit more) and averages more assists and rebounds per game than ever before. Murray has proven himself repeatedly in the playoffs, but now he’s turning in a regular season worthy of all-star and maybe even All-NBA recognition.
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Mississauga’s Barrett is having another strong campaign. Toronto has gone 14-6 when he’s been in the lineup, vs. 7-9 without Barrett, who has hit more than 50% of his shot attempts.
Barrett’s friend and fellow Mississauga native Dillon Brooks has helped turn around the Phoenix Suns, perhaps last year’s biggest disappointments. Houston didn’t want to give Brooks up, but that was what it took to land Kevin Durant. The deal has worked for both sides, with Brooks leaping from 14 points a game to 21.4 while playing his customarily rugged defence.
London, Ont.’s Shaedon Sharpe is the fifth Canadian averaging at least 20 points this season. Sharpe was picked seventh overall in 2022 largely because he’s a 99% percentile athlete in a league already filled with great athletes. He’s averaging 21.3 points for Portland, increasing his scoring average for a fourth straight year and is thriving in a bigger role. Only 22, the future is bright for Sharpe.
Brothers Andrew and Ryan Nembhard, of Indiana and Dallas, respectively, have both turned heads in 2025-26. Andrew, three years older and now in his fourth season, was a major contributor when the Pacers shockingly made it to Game 7 of the NBA Finals and has stepped up in replacing injured all-star Tyrese Haliburton. He has averaged 17.2 points, 6.7 assists and a steal per game in shifting from mostly playing off-guard alongside Haliburton to manning the point.
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His brother, who is about five inches shorter, went undrafted but was quickly snapped up by Dallas, perhaps the team lightest at point guard with Kyrie Irving sidelined all year so far. Since earning the trust of head coach Jason Kidd, Nembhard has helped the team get better and has proven he’s an NBA player. He averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists in 13 games in December, all starts. Their father Claude is the head of Ontario Basketball.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE
Toronto-born Andrew Wiggins, now somehow a bit of an elder statesman being a month or so shy of his 31st birthday, is having another superb two-way season in Miami. He has fit well with the Heat and might be having his most efficient offensive season of his 12 in the NBA while also playing strong defence.
The biggest Canadian of them all, Toronto’s Zach Edey, has been limited to 11 games due to injuries, but he has dominated when on the court for Memphis. Edey has averaged 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and shot 63% from the field in those outings. If he can stay healthy, Edey is a huge building block for the Grizzlies and an integral piece of the next few Canadian Olympic teams.
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Montrealers Lu Dort and Bennedict Mathurin have both had notable years. Dort remains a valued starter and defensive starter for the Thunder, the defending champions and top team again. Mathurin, who had his moments against Oklahoma City on the biggest stage, is averaging 17.8 points and 5.5 rebounds as a full-time starter after mostly coming off the bench in his first three seasons after being drafted sixth overall in 2022.
Finally, Washington’s Kyshawn George has arguably been the most surprising Canucks to break out. George was born in Switzerland but represents Canada like his father Deon George, of Montreal, did with players like Steve Nash and RJ Barrett’s father Rowan. George impressed defensively as a rookie, but while he can still guard, he’s excelled at the other end as a sophomore, averaging 15 points on 41% three-point shooting, along with five assists. His emergence should be huge not only for Washington, but for the Canadian program since a lot of the country’s two-way wings are getting older.
It has been quite a season for Canada’s hoopers, and there’s still plenty of basketball to be played.
@WolstatSun
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