The highly anticipated rematch between the Canadian men’s national basketball team and the U.S. hasn’t even started yet, but the trash-talking has already begun.
Although Wednesday’s meeting in Las Vegas is only an exhibition game as both teams prepare for the Paris Olympics, leave it to Canada’s Dillon Brooks to stir the pot.
Brooks was asked by reporters Monday night his thoughts about the game and, as one should expect, the Canadian forward didn’t hold back.
“I take it (just) as another game, but me being who I am, I like to make a statement,” Brooks said, according to The Athletic. “So, I’ll be ready to play. Team Canada will be ready to play, and we’re gonna go balls to the wall and watch the film after and see if we got better.”
The 28-year-old has let his play on the court do the talking as well as he led the way for Canada in a 127-118 overtime victory over the U.S. last September to earn bronze at the FIBA World Cup. Brooks set a tournament record for the most points scored in a medal-winning game, with 39. He finished the game shooting 12-for-18 from the floor, including 7-for-8 from three-point range, and also recorded five assists, four rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal.
That U.S. squad was missing key superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry, both of whom are now aiming to help their side secure a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Brooks said he’s happy to see they’ve committed and said the exhibition game “should be a fun one.”
“Talent against talent,” he said. “They’ve gotta guard. They’ve gotta play defence. That’s my main thing. Every team that has to play against us has to guard, has to scout against us. And we’re just going to play our game and make adjustments during the game.”
The Paris Games will be the first time the Canadian men’s team will compete in Olympic basketball since 2000 in Sydney.
Although the U.S. boasts the likes of James and Curry, Canada has its own elite talent, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, runner-up in NBA MVP voting this past season, and Jamal Murray, who played a pivotal role in the Denver Nuggets’ run to the NBA championship in 2023.
If Canada and the U.S. meet again in Paris, it’ll have to wait until the knockout stage because both teams have been slotted in different groups for preliminary play.
Brooks will be ready for whatever challenges they face.
“The belief was always there; we just had to put it together,” Brooks said. “Now, we’ve got a lot of players that are committed, willing to build this every single summer to get better and better and build chemistry and build camaraderie.
“Our time was last year. And now (it’s) our time for this year. But instead of getting bronze, we want the gold.”
Canada begins Olympic play against Greece on July 27.
