RealGM

Steve Nash is general manager of the Canadian national basketball team and recently wrote a special piece on ESPN about the very promising state of the country's basketball talent.

Anthony Bennett was the first overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, joining fellow Canadian Tristan Thompson on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Andrew Wiggins, meanwhile, is the most highly celebrated player coming out of high school since LeBron James in 2003.

Nash was raised in British Columbia.

"Right now interest and participation in the game in Canada is at an all-time high. While my friends and I grew up watching the NBA like a lot of Canadians, the arrival of the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies brought the NBA and the game of basketball into more households across the country exponentially and with a new intimacy. The sport's visibility exploded, and with it so did interest, excitement and participation.

"For six and a half years, much of Canada's young talent watched and fell in love with a flamboyant, human highlight film named Vince Carter. He inspired them nightly while playing for the home team Raptors. I think Vince's presence in our country shouldn't be underestimated. His charisma was incredibly powerful in attracting a Canadian audience to the game of basketball for a memorable period of time. More and more kids play basketball every year in Canada, and I think the NBA's arrival played a pivotal role in the game's growth."

Nash also credits the Internet to reaching Canadians interested in basketball.

Via RealGM Staff Report

Yes, every season that Vince played for the Raptors he should have been named The Biggest Dog in The British Empire.

Guess it's a slow news day.

say what we will..as torontonians, Vince was the staple of toronto basketball. it had a real sour divorce. but he and our city should make peace.. i would love for vince to retire a raptor whether as a mentor to DD or sign a 1 day contract like NFL.. had he stayed here, with bosh, could've been something special..

Vince Carter = Greatest dunker of all time

Show my man some respect! VC = GOAT of Canadian Basketball!

jlokine wrote:say what we will..as torontonians, Vince was the staple of toronto basketball. it had a real sour divorce. but he and our city should make peace.. i would love for vince to retire a raptor whether as a mentor to DD or sign a 1 day contract like NFL.. had he stayed here, with bosh, could've been something special..

imagine if tmac stayed too!

Carter will be part of the "Greats without a ring" club

hasn't been underestimated at all - people are fully aware that Vince Carter was one of the most exciting players of all time, then took a **** on Toronto by mailing it in until they traded him. That's his impact.

Devilzsidewalk wrote:hasn't been underestimated at all - people are fully aware that Vince Carter was one of the most exciting players of all time, then took a **** on Toronto by mailing it in until they traded him. That's his impact.

Why are people still bitter about his departure? Get over it.

He didn't "sh*t" on Toronto. The team's management failed to deliver, he became disgruntled and that was that.

Tdot24 wrote:

Devilzsidewalk wrote:hasn't been underestimated at all - people are fully aware that Vince Carter was one of the most exciting players of all time, then took a **** on Toronto by mailing it in until they traded him. That's his impact.

Why are people still bitter about his departure? Get over it.

He didn't "sh*t" on Toronto. The team's management failed to deliver, he became disgruntled and that was that.

I'm right and you're wrong and thats a fact imo

i was bitter for a long time but I am over the Vince departure. Would love to see him comeback as our wing off the bench and retire here. He did make basketball popular in Southern Ontario / Canada. Would love to see the fence mended between him and the city.

those people who are still pissed off that VC left, are the same people who keeps crying after their hot GFs left them for someone better... MOVE ON PEOPLE!!!


BRING VC HOME.. HE DESERVES IT!

shenmander wrote:

jlokine wrote:say what we will..as torontonians, Vince was the staple of toronto basketball. it had a real sour divorce. but he and our city should make peace.. i would love for vince to retire a raptor whether as a mentor to DD or sign a 1 day contract like NFL.. had he stayed here, with bosh, could've been something special..

imagine if tmac stayed too!

people should be more mad that Tmac left... that was the begging of the end... right there

why would Vince come back when we probably won't sniff the playoffs for the next 5 years?

The fact that the NBA decided to expand and do the Raptors and Grizz in Canada is also overlooked.

OT: Isnt it surprising that the NFL is the only major sport not to have a Canadian team?

I hope Mexico gets a team soon from all leagues.

Devilzsidewalk wrote:

Tdot24 wrote:

Devilzsidewalk wrote:hasn't been underestimated at all - people are fully aware that Vince Carter was one of the most exciting players of all time, then took a **** on Toronto by mailing it in until they traded him. That's his impact.

Why are people still bitter about his departure? Get over it.

He didn't "sh*t" on Toronto. The team's management failed to deliver, he became disgruntled and that was that.

I'm right and you're wrong and thats a fact imo

What are you, 12 years old? Grow up.

its time for him to come home

I never understood why people hated him for so long man. I'm one of the few torontonians i know who was over it after about a year or so. But even today, almost a majority of raptors fans hate vince carter which i still don't understand. I've always been one of those guys saying that if it weren't for him, a good number of the raptors fans wouldn't even be fans. He made those years great for us. He was competitive, got discouraged and wanted out, not to mention the unconfirmed rumors that pretty much every raptors fan believes about him. Vince carter is known as one of the top wasted talents ever for a reason yet Torontonians don't care and feel he should have continued to waste his talents in Toronto which had questionable management nearly his entire time here. Sigh