Last chance for Canada’s NBA players to help in World Cup qualifying
MONTREAL — Kelly Olynyk could have been trying to squeeze the last gasp out of summer before another long NBA season tips off.
Instead, the 27-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., and five other NBA players practised twice Monday in a university gym in downtown Montreal, lending their talent for the last time in Canada’s quest to secure a 2019 FIBA World Cup berth.
“It’s a great opportunity for us, to come together and play a couple of games together while we have the chance,” Olynyk, a forward with the Miami Heat, said. “I always love coming out here, supporting my country and being able to put on that jersey and represent my country whenever I have the opportunity.
“For us logistically right now, if we get a couple of wins here, it would put us in a great position.”