The Golden Generation: How Canada Became a Basketball Powerhouse

by Oren Weisfeld

When Steve Nash led underdog Team Canada to the quarterfinals of the 2000 Olympics, many assumed the golden age of Canadian basketball was at hand. Instead, it took 24 years for the Canadian men to get back to international basketball’s biggest stage, with a wave of immigration pushing the sport into every corner of the country and a new generation of superstars blossoming into household names. How did we get here? And why did it take so long?


In The Golden Generation, sports journalist Oren Weisfeld uncovers the growth of Canadian basketball through the lens of Team Canada and its most influential figures, alternating between chronicling key moments in the rise of the Canadian men’s national team and profiling key figures in the grassroots basketball landscape. Through over 100 original interviews with athletes, coaches, and behind-the-scenes power brokers, The Golden Generation explores the role racism played in the national team’s early struggles, how pioneers like Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson paved a new path for high schoolers to follow before Jamal Murray recreated it, the enigma that is Andrew Wiggins, and the backstories of the core group of players that brought Canada back to the Olympics, including superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.


Canadian basketball has come a long way over the past two decades, with a record 24 current NBA players, a sophisticated grassroots infrastructure, and a top-ranked national team. But many trailblazers had to take their hits to lay the foundation for the current generation to thrive. The Golden Generation puts all the pieces and players together to explain how Canada became a basketball country with a bright future ahead.

288 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

Oren Weisfeld is the author of "The Golden Generation: How Canada Became a Basketball Powerhouse."

He covers basketball and the intersection of sports and politics for The Guardian, Toronto Star, VICE, SLAM, Complex, Yahoo and more.

Reviews

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to Oren for compiling a sweeping compendium of the history of Canadian grassroots, amateur, and professional basketball. This convergence set against the back drop of national pride, personal ambitions, and the professionalization of a 'juvenile' game, renders a page turner full of intrigue.
A lot is happening here but Oren skillfully intersperses this history with the exciting characters and iconic moments of Canadian basketball- Steve, Barret Sr and Jr. Murray, and Shai. What lends to the authenticity of Oren's voice is the inclusion and acknowledgement of 'obscure' names that made the aforementioned possible. These include former coaches, organizers, and parents. All traversing a mine field of obstacles to unearth possibilities where none existed or were limited.
In this sweeping survey Oren would have you believe it is possible to be all things to all. From the stodgy history of U Sports and national sports, to the testosterone laced bravado of inner city black tops, Oren dances nimbly between the aspirational and the bureaucratic nimbyism that has plagued the development of basketball in Canada. While he offers a simplified telling of some complex topics, like regionalism, institutional racism, nationalism and exclusion, in a sea of financial predators, it is for the next author to delve deeper and unearth the stories behind some of the trite conclusions offered.
Having never read books on Canadian basketball I am intrigued by how Oren's fits in that history. I definitely recommend this read.

[Simon Winquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Golden Generation: How Canada Became a Basketball Powerhouse is one of those sports books that ends up being way bigger than sports. I gave it five stars because it’s part basketball history, part Canadian identity story, and part behind-the-scenes nation-building documentary — and it’s packed with real moments I actually remember watching (and feeling).

What I loved most is how the book explains that Canada’s rise wasn’t some random explosion of talent. It was decades of missed chances, cultural shifts, immigration-driven growth in Toronto and Montreal, grassroots builders, and finally a real system. The early chapters really hit: Canada had talent, but the program was underfunded, disorganized, and often blind to the very communities that were becoming the future of the sport. That “dark cloud” era makes the later success feel earned.

The Steve Nash sections were fascinating because they frame him as hope more than dominance — a kid from a non-hotbed, shaped by soccer IQ, who became proof that a Canadian could reach the top. But the book doesn’t just worship stars. It makes you understand the people who built the pipeline: scouts, coaches, parents, and program leaders (especially the Nash + Rowan Barrett shift toward legitimacy and professionalism). One of the most interesting patterns for me was how often **parents** show up as hidden architects — development plans, discipline, vision, and sacrifice being just as important as genetics.

The turning point of the whole story is culture. The “Summer Corps / Winter Corps” idea explains so much: Canada didn’t just need NBA players — it needed continuity, standards, and buy-in. Shai committing and setting the tone felt like the moment the program became a program, not just a roster. And the player chapters add great texture: Dillon Brooks embracing the villain role, Jamal Murray’s mix of brutal training and meditation, the prep-school boom, and the youth teams (RJ Barrett’s U19 gold) that signaled Canada was coming.

By the end, you’re not just thinking “Canada has great players.” You’re thinking: "Canada built something" — a multicultural, modern basketball identity that mirrors the country itself. Even the heartbreak moments (Mexico City failures, the Czech buzzer-beater, the Paris loss) don’t feel like downers — they feel like the cost of becoming legit on a global stage.

If you care about Canadian sports, identity, or how high-level programs are actually built, this is a must-read. It made me proud, it taught me a ton, and it finally explains how Canada went from “one Steve Nash every generation” to a country that expects to compete with anyone.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books of 2025. Loved how the story unfolded and how we got to better understand how the game and the infrastructure around the game has grown over the years. I’m a Raptors fan who didn’t really know the history of Canadian basketball and I came away with a new appreciation. I hope Oren writes more on this topic.

[Jonathan Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I loved this book. Super fun. Insightful. Bravo, Oren. This was a book that wasn’t on my radar until I heard Oren discussing on a podcast with my old Basketball Jones brethren. This is a book any basketball junkie should read. It’s the book you didn’t know you needed in your life.

[Devika Dhir · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book as thrilling as a nail-biting live game. I could almost smell the sweat, hear the rubber on the hardwood and taste the grit. What a fun inspiring read, it made me want to hit the hoop and just generally be better so I too could emulate a bit of SGA or Steve Nash or any of the other players whose stories have been so masterfully recounted here. The blurb says it’s a result of a hundred interviews. The resulting rich texture is my favourite aspect of the book. You’re not just hearing from the superstars themselves, you’re getting snippets from their mothers, what it took to take their kids to that extra practice, what it meant when they brought home the first medal, you’re hearing from their childhood best friend who saw all the behind the scenes before there was anything to see for anyone else.
But the story of Canada basketball isn’t one dimensional. The money issues, the racist outcomes, the mismanagement, the power plays and how they have all affected the trajectory of the talent that exists in Canada are not forgotten. The author has put his journalism expertise to work in an impressive way to lay it out plain here with the care and nuance those subjects call for.
Fantastic entertaining read. It’s changed how I watch sports.

[John Chidley-Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re Canadian, a fan of basketball, or a Canadian basketball fan, you should read this book. It’s honestly unbelievable that no one has done a history of Canada’s men’s national basketball team and the level of depth Weisfeld gets into is impressive.

[Saloni · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt like an obligation to read a book about Canadian basketball as a huge NBA (and WNBA!!) fan, so I really felt that whoever placed this at the front of the library did it specially for me. This was a really fun read that answered a lot of questions I still had (e.g. Why does no one from the West Coast make it to the NBA? I'm waiting for a local basketball phenom to support + a West Coast Canadian team pleaseeee). I am also a bit more endeared by the Canadian talent (aka I like SGA more now, but not enough to root for OKC).