Two years ago, we generated a fair bit of controversy when we put Rick Fox ahead of Andrew Wiggins on our top five list of Canadians to win the NBA championship. But we also knew that change was coming ‘round the corner. With so many talented players heading south of the border to ply their trade, it was only a matter of time before we’d have to switch things up.
Jamal Murray was the first to come knocking. The pride of Kitchener, Ontario helped the Denver Nuggets claim their first NBA title in 2023, and he’d be the new No. 1 on our list today – if it hadn’t been for 2025, a banner year for Canadian basketball. The 2025 NBA Finals saw four members of Team Canada take the floor, two each for the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. And in the end, it was Toronto native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the Thunder to their first championship since leaving Seattle.
There’s no more room for debate: Gilgeous-Alexander is obviously the right choice to top Bodog’s revised list of title-winning Canadians in NBA history. But let’s take a moment to remember the players who helped clear that path to basketball glory.
Tall Trees and VC
The Great White North used to be known for back-up centres like Mike Smrek (Welland, ON), the first Canadian to win a chip with the 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers – he did it again the following year – and Bill Wennington (Montreal), who won three titles with the Chicago Bulls from 1996-98. Joel Anthony (also from Montreal) broke that mold somewhat when he started for the 2011-12 Miami Heat during the regular season, but Anthony came off the bench almost exclusively for Miami’s successful playoff runs in 2012 and 2013.
We have Vince Carter to thank for inspiring the latest generation of Canadian players. Carter hails from Daytona Beach in Florida, and he didn’t win the NBA title for the Toronto Raptors, but he still made a bigger impact on Canadian pro basketball than anyone since James Naismith. Today’s NBA is stacked with Canadians like Murray and Gilgeous-Alexander who grew up watching and idolizing Carter, and they’re out there winning championships.
Now that Murray and SGA have made the list, we’ll have to say goodbye to Chris Boucher (from Montreal via Saint Lucia), our previous No. 5-ranked Canadian champion and the last remaining member of the 2019 title-winning Raptors still with the team – or at least he was before signing with the Boston Celtics this offseason. And we’ll have to boot another former Raptor, Toronto’s own Cory Joseph, from the No. 4 spot. Best of luck in your future endeavours.
We also considered putting Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammate Luguentz “Lu” Dort (Montreal) on our list. It’s a close call, but for now, we’ll stick with our new No. 5 as we prepare for what should be another great year of NBA betting here at Bodog Sportsbook.
5. Tristan Thompson (2016)
Still officially part of the Cleveland Cavaliers as we go to press, Thompson (Brampton, ON) was the fourth overall pick for Cleveland in the 2011 NBA Draft, and was at the peak of his somewhat limited powers when they finally won the title five years later. Thompson’s durability and offensive rebounding allowed him to play at a respectable level for most of his nine years with the Cavs, typically as their starting centre.
Things went a bit sideways after LeBron James left town the second time. Age, injuries and some questionable off-court choices have Thompson on the fringes of the NBA. But Thompson will always have that 2016 comeback win over the Golden State Warriors on his lengthy resume.
4. Andrew Wiggins (2022)
Now with the Heat, Wiggins is the poster child for the Carter Generation of Toronto ballers, a supernaturally gifted swingman who never did live up to his billing as the clear No. 1 pick for Cleveland at the 2014 NBA Draft. He was immediately flipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves (alongside 2013 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, another Toronto kid who had even more trouble meeting his potential) when King James returned to Cleveland, then spent the next five-plus years languishing with one of the NBA’s most poorly-run franchises.
Wiggins was thrown a lifeline in 2020 when he was shipped to Golden State in the D’Angelo Russell trade. He worked on his defence, improved his 3-point shooting, and became a valuable supporting player for Stephen Curry and Co. at the tail end of their dynasty. Wiggins even made the 2022 All-Star team en route to winning the championship, although his nomination was a bit of a stretch.
3. Rick Fox (2000, 2001, 2002)
Fox (born in Toronto, raised in the Bahamas and Indiana) was a classic “3-and-D” guy for the Lakers during their three-peat at the turn of the millennium, fitting like a glove alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. He made both Toronto and Canada proud at a time when this country was just starting to find its basketball footing.
Even more remarkable: These three titles came after Fox had turned 30. He was a late first-round pick by the Boston Celtics in 1991, becoming their first Opening Day rookie starter since Larry Bird in 1979. Boston went through a lengthy rebuild between the Bird and Paul Pierce Eras, and Fox did yeoman service for six years before getting his release in 1997 and signing with the rival Lakers. Now he’s a three-time NBA champion and a proud member of the Canada Basketball Hall of Fame.
2. Jamal Murray (2023)
Yet another Carter acolyte with amazing offensive skills, Murray burst on the scene during the 2020 NBA playoffs, leading Denver to the Western Conference Finals and nearly preventing LeBron James’ Lakers from winning the title. But Murray’s rapid rise was stalled by a torn ACL that caused him to miss the entire 2021-22 season.
That could have been it for the Nuggets. Instead, Murray proved he still had that playoff magic inside him, pairing with multi-time MVP Nikola Jokic to land Denver their first championship. Let’s hope Murray can stay healthy and help Team Canada win their first gold at the next Olympics.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2025)
SGA is a slam-dunk at No. 1 – although the Indiana Pacers had the reigning league MVP up against the ropes in Game 7 before Tyrese Haliburton blew out his Achilles. How close were we to finding room on this list for Andrew Nembhard (Aurora, ON) and Bennedict Mathurin (Montreal)? We’ll never know.
With Haliburton injured, and the Thunder returning Gilgeous-Alexander and all their core players for 2025-26, they’re the clear +265 favourites at Bodog to defend their title. That would presumably be enough to push Dort into our top five. Murray and the Nuggets (fourth favourites at +800) might have something to say about it, and who knows, maybe RJ Barrett can lead his hometown Toronto Raptors to another championship as +15000 outsiders.
Fresh NBA title odds are available around the clock on our basketball futures page at Bodog, so keep hitting that refresh button, and we’ll see you on the hardcourt.