For the second straight year, there will be four Canadians taking the court when the NBA Finals tip off Thursday night, but the Canadian content in this year’s showdown between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder is very different from that of 2024.
In last year’s finals, Canada was represented on the victorious Boston Celtics by Torontonian Oshae Brissett, while A.J. Lawson and Dwight Powell, also from Toronto, suited up for the Dallas Mavericks alongside Montreal native Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Those four players are not exactly household names and were, for the most part, depth at the end of the bench.
Fast forward to Thursday night and you will see the Thunder being led by recently crowned NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton alongside Montreal native Luguentz Dort, o