BASKETBALL PLAYERS from Canada

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Canadian Basketball Players of all time. This list of famous Canadian Basketball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Canadian Basketball Players.

1. Bob Houbregs (1932 - 2014)

With an HPI of 37.27, Bob Houbregs is the most famous Canadian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages on wikipedia.

Robert J. Houbregs (March 12, 1932 – May 28, 2014) was a Canadian professional basketball player. Houbregs was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.

2. Rick Fox (1969 - )

With an HPI of 36.69, Rick Fox is the 2nd most famous Canadian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Ulrich Alexander Fox (born July 24, 1969) is a Canadian actor and former basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He was the owner of the eSports franchise Echo Fox until his departure from the franchise in October 2019. His acting credits include roles in Oz, He Got Game, One Tree Hill, Ugly Betty, The Game, The Big Bang Theory, Meet the Browns, Melrose Place, Mr. Box Office, Sin City Saints, Krystal, Sharknado, Greenleaf, Morning Show Mysteries and All Rise.

3. Bill Wennington (1963 - )

With an HPI of 36.05, Bill Wennington is the 3rd most famous Canadian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

William Percey Wennington (born April 26, 1963) is a Canadian former professional basketball player who won three National Basketball Association (NBA) championships with the Chicago Bulls. A center, he represented Canada in the 1984 Olympics and 1983 World University Games, where the team won gold. He was also on the Canadian team that narrowly missed qualification for the 1992 Olympics. Wennington has been inducted into the Quebec Basketball Hall of Fame and the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.

4. Anthony Bennett (1993 - )

With an HPI of 34.52, Anthony Bennett is the 4th most famous Canadian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Anthony Harris Bennett (born March 14, 1993) is a Canadian professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He was the first overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming the first Canadian to be drafted number one overall. He played only four seasons in the NBA, averaging 4.4 points, and is often considered the worst number-one pick in league history.

5. Andrew Wiggins (1995 - )

With an HPI of 34.49, Andrew Wiggins is the 5th most famous Canadian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Andrew Christian Wiggins (born February 23, 1995) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers after one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks. Wiggins grew up in Canada before attending his last two years of high school in the United States, where he was named a McDonald's All-American. At Kansas, he was named a second-team consensus All-American before becoming the second Canadian to be selected No. 1 overall in an NBA draft. After a preseason trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wiggins earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors for the 2014–15 season. After five and a half seasons with Minnesota, he was traded to Golden State in 2020. In 2022, Wiggins won his first NBA championship and was selected for his first NBA All-Star game, and was named a Western Conference starter. He has also been a member of the Canadian national team.

6. Nik Stauskas (1993 - )

With an HPI of 33.97, Nik Stauskas is the 6th most famous Canadian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Nikolas Tomas Stauskas (born October 7, 1993) is a Canadian professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A shooting guard, Stauskas played two seasons of college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines from 2012 to 2014. He was drafted eighth overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. Stauskas, whose family is of Lithuanian heritage, is a member of the Canadian national team. As a freshman for the 2012–13 Michigan Wolverines, Stauskas was named Sports Illustrated National Freshman of the Week once, Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week three times and to the Wayman Tisdale Award, United States Basketball Writers Association's National Freshman of the Year, top 12 midseason list. During the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, he earned South All-Regional Team recognition. As a sophomore for the 2013–14 team, Stauskas went on to be named a 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball consensus All-American and was named Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year for the 2013–14 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season. Stauskas has played for several NBA and NBA G League teams. In 2022, he reached the NBA Finals with the Celtics.

7. Tristan Thompson (1991 - )

With an HPI of 32.94, Tristan Thompson is the 7th most famous Canadian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Tristan Trevor James Thompson (born March 13, 1991) is a Canadian-American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016 and has also played for the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns before being drafted fourth overall by the Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA draft. He has also played for the Canadian national team.

8. Jamal Murray (1997 - )

With an HPI of 28.51, Jamal Murray is the 8th most famous Canadian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Jamal Murray (born February 23, 1997) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Canadian national team. He played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats before being drafted by the Nuggets as the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. Nicknamed "Blue Arrow", he was integral in leading the Nuggets to their first NBA championship in 2023.

9. Jay Triano (1958 - )

With an HPI of 27.36, Jay Triano is the 9th most famous Canadian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Howard James "Jay" Triano (born September 21, 1958) is a Canadian basketball coach and former professional player, who is currently an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the head coach of the NBA's Toronto Raptors and the interim head coach of the Phoenix Suns. A former Canada national team player who competed in two Olympics, he has also had two stints as head coach of the national team.

10. Kelly Olynyk (1991 - )

With an HPI of 27.01, Kelly Olynyk is the 10th most famous Canadian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Kelly Tyler Olynyk ( oh-LIN-ik; born April 19, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where he earned NCAA All-American honours in 2013. After forgoing his senior year of college basketball, Olynyk was selected with the 13th overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2013 NBA draft, before being immediately traded to the Boston Celtics. In July 2017, he signed with the Miami Heat, with whom he reached the NBA Finals in 2020. In March 2021, Olynyk was traded to the Houston Rockets. He signed with the Pistons in August of the same year. He was traded to the Utah Jazz in 2022 and to the Toronto Raptors in 2024. He also plays for the Canadian national team.