The only NBA team in Canada wants to get some Canadian players sooner rather than later.
Raptors president and general manager Masai Ujiri made the proclamation on Monday night at a forum in Ottawa.
“We are an NBA team, it’s important we look for talent everywhere, but it is on our minds to get a Canadian player or Canadian players,” Ujiri told the crowd at Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s Canadian Basketball Speakers forum, reported the Toronto Sun.
“There’s no doubt during my time, even if my time is short, there will be a Canadian player on the Toronto Raptors. It’s important that players get inspired to play for their country, inspired to play for the Raptors. This continues to get bigger.”
Ujiri added that he has even considered hiring someone to focus solely on Canadian players, since the growth of basketball in the country has been so big recently.
The Raptors front office includes fans of Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 draft pick in last year’s draft that hails from Canada, although Ujiri was careful to avoid saying Wiggins name.
Ujiri was asked to pick one player other than LeBron James that he would love to have on his team. “We all know who he is, but I won’t say his name. He might be Canadian,” Ujiri said, smiling.
The Raptors currently have no Canadian players.
