AURORA - Aurora native Andrew Nembhard has made the Canadian men’s basketball roster ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Nembhard grew up in Aurora, played high school basketball in Vaughan and college basketball in Florida and at Gonzaga, before being drafted into the NBA by the Indiana Pacers in 2022.
He first made the national team in 2019, playing at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Nembhard is coming off a strong season for the Pacers. He scored a career-high 32 points during the team’s 114-111 loss to Boston in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Congratulations to Aurora’s own Andrew Nembhard on being named to Canada's roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. #auroraproud pic.twitter.com/wGtwthn2ub
— Mayor Tom Mrakas (@TMrakas) July 11, 2024
Congratulations poured in for Nembhard at the news, with Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas and Javed Khan, president of the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame paying tribute. Nembhard was recognized as a Future Hall of Famer in 2018, noted Khan.
"Representing the wonderful community of Aurora, ON, we are incredibly proud of your evolution into a fantastic player and a remarkable ambassador for both our community and our organization," Khan said in a statement.
Nembhard joins star-studded Canadian roster
This is the first Olympics in which Canada's men's basketball team has played since finishing seventh at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Nembhard joins a star-studded roster with 2023 NBA title winner Jamal Murray and 2024 MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with Canada hopeful of a chance at a medal, after winning bronze at the FIBA World Cup in September.
Canada’s lone Olympic medal in basketball came at Berlin 1936, when it was a much different game.
He lined up for the team as Canada played out an 86-72 loss to the top-ranked U.S. team in an Olympics warm-up on Wednesday night.
“When we opened camp in Toronto last week, I challenged each of the players to improve one percent each day, and every day since I’ve witnessed the work and dedication they have put in,” Team Canada's men's head coach Jordi Fernández said in a news release.
“With 17 days to go until our first game of the tournament, that’s an opportunity to get 17% better. From the players to the coaches to the staff, the incredible opportunity ahead of us to do something truly historic for Canada this summer is not lost on anyone.”
Andrew Nembhard does it all 👀 pic.twitter.com/3OO3MgRZJZ
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) July 11, 2024
Canada was drawn into Group A and will face Greece on July 27 at 3 p.m. ET.
Olympics basketball will take place from July 27 to Aug. 11.
The full roster is below:
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Toronto, Ont.)
RJ Barrett (Mississauga, Ont.)
Khem Birch (Montreal, Que.)
Dillon Brooks (Mississauga, Ont.)
Luguentz Dort (Montreal, Que.)
Melvin Ejim (Toronto, Ont.)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Hamilton, Ont.)
Trey Lyles (Saskatoon, Sask.)
Jamal Murray (Kitchener, Ont.)
Andrew Nembhard (Aurora, Ont.)
Kelly Olynyk (Kamloops, B.C.)
Dwight Powell (Toronto, Ont.)