In many of the past few NBA Finals, it hasn\u2019t been all that rare to see some of the best talent in Canadian basketball on display on the biggest stage in the game.<\/p>\n
In 2022, it was Andrew Wiggins finding All-Star form with the Golden State Warriors, while Jamal Murray helped the Denver Nuggets win the 2023 title with just four playoff losses along the way.<\/p>\n
This past season, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wrapped up an all-time campaign, winning both regular season and Finals MVP en route to his organization\u2019s first-ever NBA title.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith success comes many complications, and [his team] is doing a great job of managing the madness,\u201d Canada Basketball CEO Michael Bartlett said in an interview with Offside. \u201cHe is an absolutely wonderful example of what you want in an icon, an icon in your country. He truly leads by example.\u201d<\/p>\n
But while success has happened at both the individual and team level for many of its top stars, it\u2019s been 89 years since Canada found itself on the podium in basketball at the Olympics.<\/p>\n
For Bartlett and the rest of the Canada Basketball staff, the Los Angeles Games in 2028 are the biggest stretch goal to look ahead to, while also having the men\u2019s and women\u2019s FIBA World Cups coming up in 2026 and 2027.<\/p>\n
Canada is operating with an annual budget of around $16 million, in comparison to budgets hovering around $60 million for the USA and France, per Bartlett. One of the biggest challenges Bartlett outlined for the organization was attempting to keep up the momentum of the growth of basketball year-round in the country, rather than just inside the Olympic windows.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe there are many fans of basketball in Canada, many fans of our athletes. How many fans do we have of Canada Basketball? And is it their fault that they\u2019re not fans of ours, or is it our obligation to create more fan engagement and more fan ability by the opportunities that we give them?\u201d Bartlett said.<\/p>\n
Enter Unify+<\/a>: a newly launched fan-engagement web platform that is accepting both free and paid memberships.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to do a better job of giving fans access and exposure, and engagement opportunities, not just award those that are the best fans of ours, but also the conditioned behaviour, so that they recognize that Canada Basketball\u2019s journey to the next Olympics in LA 2028 actually started the day the torch was extinguished in Paris. It doesn\u2019t just start up again three years from now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The platform, which officially launched Monday, offers the chance for fans to keep up with Canadian basketball players competing in the NCAA, NBA, WNBA, or other leagues around the world.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just good people coming together, saying, let\u2019s take a crack at solving this problem. And the platform of Unify+ was the end outcome,\u201d Bartlett said.<\/p>\n Fans are given points for engaging with the product \u2014 commenting, liking, and sharing \u2014 and the points can eventually be redeemed for prizes as well as experiences such as tickets to Canada Basketball-affiliated events.<\/p>\n \u201cBasketball is being played 365, and if they\u2019re not wearing the Team Canada jersey 365, our Canadian players are playing somewhere almost over the course of the entire year,\u201d Bartlett said.<\/p>\n In addition to the free tier, a Pro membership tier is available for $80 a year, and a Founders membership tier for $120 a year. The pro membership comes with a free hat or T-shirt, while the founders tier also comes with a custom jacket designed by local artist Casey Bannerman, a longtime staple in the Canadian basketball scene<\/a>.<\/p>\n In upcoming versions of the platform, there will also be coaching tips, as well as chances for young players to help get their own game highlights recognized by the larger basketball community.<\/p>\n Outside of the NBA talent, Bartlett also shared excitement for the WNBA\u2019s first-ever Canadian team coming next year, with the Toronto Tempo slated to join the league as an expansion team in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019ll see an even greater spike in girls and women\u2019s basketball in this country as a result of that,\u201d Bartlett added. \u201c[The WNBA coming to Canada] isn\u2019t competition for us. That is a blessing and an opportunity for us to work with them and make sure that our women\u2019s program sustains its trajectory well into the future as well.\u201d<\/p>\n