On Monday night, the Denver Nuggets hoisted the NBA championship trophy. Jamal Murray, the right-hand man for Nikola Jokic, took his turn pushing the precious prize above his head.
Another joyous moment for him and his home country, just a year after fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggins had lifted the hardware.
It was enough to make Dwight Powell feel like a proud papa, even if he’s not really old enough to be labeled a patriarch of basketball in his native Canada.
The Canadians have come a long, long way since the last generation, which was pretty much Steve Nash and nobody else when it came to NBA talent coming from the Great White North.
Today, Canada is by far the most well-represented country for NBA players outside of the U.S.
There were 22 Canadians on NBA rosters on opening day of the 2022-23 season. Australia with 10 was next.
“It’s a global game,” Powell said. “Some of the biggest stars in this league are from all four corners of the globe. There’s a lot of talent out there.”
And to see his countryman celebrate was another historic moment, not to mention that it brought out the warm-and-fuzzies for Powell, the Mavericks veteran center.
“He’s been playing amazing,” Powell said of Murray. “We’re all very proud to see him doing what he’s been doing.
“It does a lot of good stuff for Canada basketball – recognition for him and the country, obviously, but also it gives the kids something to aim for. So it’s the next generation that really benefits the most from witnessing success like that from someone who grew up how they grew up, where they grew up and had similar opportunities to what they have.”
And, by the way, Powell believes even bigger and better things are coming down the road for Canada basketball.
“Our junior program is incredible – well-coached, a bunch of talent and it’s growing every year,” he said. “So it’s super-exciting.”
Powell took a break from his summer workout regimen on Monday to visit kids at the Mavs Academy Hoop Camps, presented by Chick-fil-A Dallas, at Episcopal School of Dallas and Wylie East High School. Powell played basketball games and participated in drills with the kids.
He also signed about 400 autographs on posters so that each camper received a special memento from the day.
“It’s one of the important parts of our job,” the 6-10 Powell said. “With our platform, anytime we get a chance to support the community, especially the kids, it’s an honor to do that.”
Powell has been a frequent participant in the Mavs’ Hoop Camps in past years and he’s joined Theo Pinson, A.J. Lawson and other Mavericks players for this year’s gatherings.
But his primary objective this longer-than-expected offseason has been to get healthy and get ready for next season.
Before that, however, he and his Canadian teammates will convene for training camp in early August for the 2023 FIBA World Cup of basketball.
The Canadians punched their ticket to the World Cup by winning their first 10 games during the qualifying process.
Their roster is dotted with NBA stars – Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Murray, Powell, Kelly Olynyk and R.J. Barrett among them.
The Canadians will be in Group H with France, Latvia and Lebanon.
So what would constitute a great World Cup for the Canadians?
“Gold medal,” Powell said flatly. “That’s always the goal. (However), the World Cup is a stacked tournament. We got to be ready for everybody.”
Until Aug. 1, Powell will spend much of his time in Dallas working out and preparing for next season’s grind. He is a free agent, but that’s a topic virtually all players like to avoid.
As Powell quipped: “There’s uncertainty for all of our futures.”
With that outlook guiding him, he’s been in the gym a lot.
“I did my normal wind-down after the season,” he said. “I took some time off and did some traveling. But I’ve been back in the gym working.”
He visited Morroco for the first time. He’s also looking forward to the Mavericks’ preseason trip to Abu Dhabi.
“I’ve been before, it’s a sight to see,” he said. “The Emirates are a sight to see and it’s exciting to take a trip over there.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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