Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Following an ESPN article predicting the USA’s 2028 Olympic basketball roster, the past few weeks have seen everybody and their mothers talk about which stars will headline team USA in Los Angeles two years from now. Between aging vets like Stephen Curry and young stars like Cooper Flagg, fans are torn on what the American roster will look like.
With this in mind, there is exactly one other country on earth that will likely be capable of fielding a 10-man rotation of good rotational NBA players at the 2028 Olympics. This country, of course, is Canada. From 2025 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, to young up-and-comers, to a couple of other players with all-star appearances, here is a prediction of the 12-man Canada Olympic basketball roster that will be seen at LA28. This list is ordered from most to least likely.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Age in July 2028: 30
Current Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Projected Role: Starting Point Guard
Of all the entries on this list, Shai is by far the top candidate to be the Canada Olympic basketball on-court leader. An NBA MVP and champion, SGA will still be in his prime in 2028. As the kind of star who’s already proven himself capable of efficiently existing within the flow of a stacked offense and positively contributing on defense, Shai will be plug-and-play with just about any supporting cast that Canada Basketball surrounds him with.
At Paris 2024, Shai looked great in all four of Canada’s matches. In the quarterfinal match that would see Canada eliminated by France, SGA put up a heroic 27 points. To put it simply, Shai is the pound-for-pound greatest Canadian NBA player of all time. Yes, that includes Steve Nash.
2. Jamal Murray
Age in July 2028: 31
Current Team: Denver Nuggets
Projected Role: Starting Shooting Guard
If this article were written prior start of the 2025-26 NBA season, other options would’ve had to have been considered for the #2 spot on this list. Given that Murray has come into this season averaging an efficient 26 points per game, however, he now looks like the clear second guy for Canada.
While Murray will be a little bit older at 31 in 2028, nothing about his skill-set screams aging poorly. And while he played a sixth-man role for Canada at Paris 2024, if he keeps up his current level of play, Canada Basketball will have no choice but to start him. To say that Murray did not absolutely stink it up in Paris would be a lie – he averaged an inefficient 6 points per game. Still, though, Murray is the type of player that this team simply cannot afford to pass up on if they want to beat the USA.
3. RJ Barrett
Age in July 2028: 28
Current Team: Toronto Raptors
Projected Role: Starting Small Forward
A this point, especially after the Toronto Raptors move, it really feels like ‘Star-J’ is Captain Canada – the type of guy who can really be the heart and soul of an unlikely champion. At Paris 2024, RJ looked just as good as Shai did. In 2028, instead of being a developing 24-year-old, RJ will be in what very well may be the prime of his career.
Sure, Barrett has been a frustrating player to watch over the past half-decade, having put up similar box-score numbers for every year since his sophomore season. Still, the guy bleeds red and white, has looked good every time he’s put on the Canadian jersey, and will likely continue to get high-stakes basketball experience with the Raptors in the next few NBA postseasons.
4. Kyshawn George
Age in July 2028: 24
Current Team: Washington Wizards
Projected Role: Starting Power Forward
George may very well be the future of the combo forward position for a Canadian squad lacking all size outside of Zach Edey. At 6’8, George is theoretically big enough to play power forward alongside a big center. Canada has a big center.
Yes, George played SG in his rookie season. Yes, he has the skills of a guard. But the role of point forward is one that is increasingly utilized by successful basketball teams. And if George can continue to put his game together, put on a little more weight, and actualize his defensive upside, I believe he can be Canada’s long-term power forward.
5. Zach Edey
Age in July 2028: 26
Current Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Projected Role: Starting Center (or injured moral support)
Will Edey be healthy? If he is, he’ll be the X-Factor for the Canada Olympic basketball team – a club that has historically been plagued by a weak center position. In fact, Edey is probably the third most impactful minute-for-minute Canadian basketball player right now. Yes, that sounds insane. Looking at the facts, though, Edey is the type of player who can dominate smaller centers for a few easy buckets a game while providing solid rim protection.
Edey’s defensive EPM was 93rd percentile in the limited run he got in the 2025-26 season. Then, he got a potentially season-ending foot surgery. That is where the concern lies in Edey as a prospect for the 2028 team. Not in his skill; not in speed concerns which have been proven wrong over and over in his short NBA career – but in his ability to stay healthy.
6. Andrew Nembhard
Age in July 2028: 28
Current Team: Indiana Pacers
Projected Role: Backup Point Guard
Nembhard is a guy who just continues to look better and better every year, so much so that it would not be surprising if by 2028 he’s had a Jalen Brunson-esque career trajectory. If that’s the case, Nembhard will definitely be starting for team Canada, and the roster will have more of a guard over-saturation problem than it already does.
Nembhard will likely be better in 2028 than he is now, and that makes this inclusion very simple; he’s already an NBA finalist that’s averaging an efficient 17 PPG and 7 APG this season – what does better look like?
7. Dillon Brooks
Age in July 2028: 32
Current Team: Phoenix Suns
Projected Role: Backup Small Forward
Brooks’ inclusion on this roster did not come without doubt. He’s currently having a career year with the Suns at age 30, and he’ll be 32 by LA28. This is already a cause for concern. If Brooks was averaging the same 13-14 points per game that he was averaging in seasons prior, this would be more of a discussion. In fact, the hardest cut of this list, as will be discussed more later, was Lu Dort, a player who of a similar archetype to Brooks but even younger.
Brooks made the list for a few reasons. For one, he’s a legitimate 6’7 energy forward in a group of guys lacking size. If Dort was 6’7 and Brooks was 6’4, I’d have picked Dort instead. They have similar archetypes, but given the player pool that Canada has, Brooks’ size is invaluable. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Brooks clearly has preferential treatment with Canada Basketball. If he remains a competent NBA starter, he will have a role on the 2028 Canada Olympic basketball team.
8. Andrew Wiggins
Age in July 2028: 33
Current Team: Miami Heat
Projected Role: Backup Power Forward
This is another pick, similar to Brooks, that may end up looking stupid by the time of the 2028 Olympics – especially when compared with some of the names that were left off. Still, Wiggins is a guy who hasn’t yet had the chance to play Olympic basketball. He clearly at least wanted to back in 2020 when playing qualifiers with the team.
Wiggins is also 6’6 with a long wingspan and the athleticism to play the combo-forward position, which is exactly the role he may be put into with a smaller lineup anchored by the 7’4 Edey at center. After a major down year with the Warriors in 2024, Wiggins has rebounded over the past 2 seasons with the Heat, and could very well still be an elite NBA 3-and-D option by age 33 in 2028. Wiggins is a high-risk choice, but this risk also comes with an all-star starter level reward.
9. Shaedon Sharpe
Age in July 2028: 25
Current Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Projected Role: Backup Shooting Guard
Sharpe is at a crossroads in his career. It’s been shown time and time again that young, athletic guards who do little but score the ball are often squeezed out of the NBA by age 30. The thing with Sharpe, though, is that he’s contributing meaningful minutes to a playoff-hopeful Portland Trail Blazers team, and he has all the tools to be a good defender.
Looking at advanced analytics, Sharpe has only gotten better and better on defense every year. If he continues to buy in on that end, he should be a lock in 2028. At just 22 years old right now, he’s averaging over 20 points per game and is potentially not near his ceiling. It would not be shocking if he started for Canada in 2028, but it would also not be too surprising if the nation’s immense guard depth means that he’ll be without a roster spot.
10. Bennedict Mathurin
Age in July 2028: 26
Current Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Projected Role: Third-string G/F
Mathurin is young, something that he has going for him. Still, on a team full of guard and wing talent, he does not have the defensive prowess to overtake players like Dillon Brooks nor the on-ball ability to shine over stars like Jamal Murray. For this reason, Mathurin may very well be an 11th or 12th man on the 2028 Canada Olympic basketball roster.
To clarify, Benn Mathurin might be the 7th best Canadian basketball player in 2028. But in a reality where players 1-6 are all perimeter players with more tangible impact than Mathurin, 7th best may not be enough to get consistent minutes.
11. Will Riley
Age in July 2028: 22
Current Team: Washington Wizards
Projected Role: Backup Power Forward
Depending on how the next few years of Will Riley’s NBA career go, this inclusion may look ridiculously low, or like it shouldn’t have been an inclusion at all come 2028.
Riley is currently a 20-year-old rookie with the Wizards, where he’s progressively received more and more minutes this season. In the month of February, Riley played 27 minutes per game and averaged 15 points per game on very respectable efficiency. If he keeps this level of progression up, he’ll be a strong contender for a starting spot with the Canada Olympic basketball roster.
At 180 pounds, Riley is incredibly small to play the PF position. Let’s be real, though – all of Canada is small to play the PF position. At 6’9, and with the skill-set Riley has, he could be a perfectly suitable power forward if he puts on a few pounds by 2028. Regardless, it’s preferable to Lu Dort filling the role of 6’4 power forward.
12. Maxime Meyer
Age in July 2028: 20
Current Team: IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL
Projected Role: Backup Center
This list would not have been complete without a wildcard pick.
Here’s the case: Meyer is an 18-year-old Duke commit. More importantly, Meyer is a 7’1 center. There are a few ways this pick could go. Meyer, a consensus top-100 recruit in U.S high school hoops, could be one-and-done at Duke after 2027. This would likely make him a competitor for the starting spot. Meyer could also look like a solid rotational big at Duke. If this is the case, he’s still a better backup center option than the 36-year-old versions of Dwight Powell and Kelly Olynyk by the end of his sophomore season.
The last way that this pick could go, is Meyer getting to Duke, and looking bad. Due to injuries, lack of skill, or whatever other reservations that you may have, this is also very possible. Still, Canada’s center position is so weak that the hope of Meyer is enough to be the last spot on this list. This weakness is why Guerschon Yabusele single-handedly ended Canada’s medalling hopes in Paris, and it ought not be repeated.
2028 Canada Olympic Basketball Team: Who Got Snubbed?
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker is having a breakout season with the Hawks. Unfortunately, he is 27 competing with equally talented 22-25 year-old guards for a roster spot.
- Lu Dort is a proven winner and a go-to for team Canada. Given the team’s current context, though, his defensive production isn’t enough to make up for his offensive woes and lack of size.
- Ryan Nembhard, for as young and good as he is, is 5’11 and competing for a roster spot on a team that needs size more than anything.
- Brandon Clarke is a top option for power forward depth, but has never yet played with Team Canada, and will be on the other side of 30 with bad injury history by 2028.
- Trey Lyles, especially given his strong production with Real Madrid, is a viable forward option, but his decline and Will Riley’s ascension are inevitable.
- Caleb Houstan, Emanuel & Leonard Miller, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper are guys who have not yet proven themselves, but could all theoretically take a leap and make themselves favourites in the power forward position that lacks depth.
- Khem Birch, Dwight Powell, and Kelly Olynyk once made up a very solid NBA-level center tandem. In 2026, they’re all in their mid-30s and hanging onto their professional basketball careers by a thread. In the summer of 2028, they’ll likely all be retired or beyond utility.
Whatever the roster is, Canada is in a golden age and has no excuse not to medal.
About The Author
As a Purdue fan I really hope that Edey will be healthy when the Olympics come around. His size and skill set would be interesting to see in FIBA play.