Canadian Players to Win the NBA Championship
Basketball’s rise in Canada has turned what used to be a quiet scene into a steady stream of NBA champions. It started with Mike Smrek in the 1980s and now includes stars like Andrew Wiggins and Jamal Murray playing meaningful minutes for their team deep into the playoffs.
Here, we will discuss the Canadians who have lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy and provide a clear overview of their titles and roles in each run. Some of them did the dirty work as physical bigs on classic title teams, and others ended up as main options on modern contenders. One thing is for sure: these Canadian champions have changed how we see players from the Great White North in the NBA.
Mike Smrek
The first Canadian to win an NBA championship did it in purple and gold, making his name with the Los Angeles Lakers in the late 1980s. A 7-foot center from Welland, Ontario, Mike Smrek earned two rings in 1987 and 1988 as a backup during the Showtime years, playing behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and seeing only spot minutes.
Even without a significant role on game nights, he brought size and energy in practice to a roster full of stars and was always prepared when called. He may not be the first name people mention when they talk about Canadian players to win the NBA, but those back-to-back titles stamped him as the country’s first NBA champion and inspired other Canadians to chase the same glory.
Bill Wennington
Montreal-born center and seven-footer Bill Wennington built a solid NBA career that peaked with three straight championships on the 1990s Chicago Bulls. He earned three rings between 1996 and 1998 as a trusted reserve, backing up Luc Longley in the middle. Playing next to Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, he provided Phil Jackson with a steady option off the bench, with interior defence and a smooth mid-range jumper.
He was never a flashy scorer, but his size and reliability gave Chicago important depth in the frontcourt. That team-first approach helped the Bulls finish their second three-peat and cemented Wennington as one of the most decorated Canadian players in NBA history.
Rick Fox
One of the key role players in the Lakers’ early-2000s run was Toronto-born forward Rick Fox, who grew up in the Bahamas. He won three straight NBA titles with Los Angeles, starting in 2000. During the Shaquille O’Neal–Kobe Bryant era, he started at forward, filling a classic 3-and-D role with reliable outside shooting and physical wing defence.
Fox often took on the job of guarding the opponent’s top perimeter scorer and brought playoff experience to the locker room. All three of his championships came after he turned 30, which shows how he shaped his career after earlier years as a steady contributor in Boston. He retired as a three-time champion and later entered the Canada Basketball Hall of Fame, with a legacy as one of the most accomplished Canadian players in NBA history.
Joel Anthony
One of the most important Canadian big men of the modern era in Miami, Joel Anthony won back-to-back championships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013. The Montreal native went undrafted but forced his way into the rotation as a defensive specialist, using his timing and strength to protect the rim. During the 2011-12 regular season, he even spent long spells as the team’s starting center before shifting into a bench role once the playoffs tightened up.
His box scores rarely jumped out, and his value showed up in work that did not always hit the highlights. He contested shots, set hard screens, and battled in the paint so Miami’s stars could shine. That willingness to lean into defence and hustle made him a trusted piece of a title team. On any list of Canadian players to win the NBA, he stands out as the blue-collar center who turned effort and discipline into two championship rings.
Cory Joseph
A calm, steady point guard from Pickering, Ontario, Cory Joseph earned his NBA championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, when they beat the Miami Heat in the Finals. Still early in his career, he was a young backup on a deep veteran team, playing behind Tony Parker but staying ready whenever his number was called. By his third season, he had earned Gregg Popovich’s trust as a guard who could run the offence and hold his own defensively.
Joseph appeared in 17 playoff games during that title run, giving the Spurs energy off the bench with solid ball-handling and on-ball defence. One of his standout moments was an and-1 dunk over Serge Ibaka in the Western Conference Finals, a play that showcased his aggressiveness when attacking the rim. His minutes in the Finals were limited, yet he made the most of them and fit the Spurs’ unselfish style. That 2014 championship added his name to the growing list of Canadian role players finding success on elite NBA teams.
Tristan Thompson
Cleveland finally broke its long championship drought in 2016 with a roster that leaned heavily on its starting center. Tristan Thompson, a tough big man from Brampton, Ontario, was a central piece of the Cavaliers’ comeback against Golden State in the Finals. Over the seven-game series, he averaged a double-double with just over ten points and ten rebounds a night, bringing constant activity on the glass and firm defence in the paint.
His durability and offensive rebounding let him stay on the floor for long stretches, where he set crushing screens and battled across multiple positions. At 6'9", he moved well enough to defend pick-and-rolls and switch onto guards. The Cavaliers became the first team to climb out of a 3-1 hole in the Finals, and his energy was a big part of that turnaround. That championship run locked in his status as one of Canada’s top NBA bigs and tied his name to that famous Game 7 win on the road.
Chris Boucher
Among Canadian players, few can match the championship record of Chris Boucher, who owns two NBA titles after winning back-to-back rings in 2018 and 2019. He first broke in with Golden State on a two-way deal and claimed his first ring as a deep reserve, seeing limited action but gaining trust and experience inside a title locker room. The following season, he moved to Toronto and helped his home country’s team capture its first NBA crown, becoming the first Canadian to win a championship with the Raptors.
Born in Saint Lucia and raised in Montreal, he went undrafted and had to fight his way up through the G League before securing a real role. In Toronto, he brought length and shot-blocking with constant energy in the frontcourt and gradually grew into a dependable bench piece, making his path from an overlooked prospect to two-time champion a model for younger Canadian players.
Andrew Wiggins
The turning point in his career came in 2022, when he helped the Golden State Warriors win the NBA title. The forward from Vaughan, Ontario, played a significant role and often looked like the Warriors’ second-best player in the Finals. Across six games, he scored efficiently and attacked the glass while taking the primary defensive assignment on Jayson Tatum. His pressure on Tatum’s drives and jumpers swung key stretches and showed his game had become more complete.
Drafted first overall in 2014, he spent his seasons in Minnesota putting up points but facing doubts about his defence and focus. A 2020 trade to Golden State put him in a stricter system, where he accepted a defined role next to Stephen Curry and raised his intensity. The 2022 season brought his first All-Star nod and a championship ring, placing him among Canadian NBA champions and aligning his talent with winning.
Jamal Murray
The 2023 title run turned Denver’s point guard into one of the faces of Canadian basketball. Coming back from a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2021-22 season, he hit the playoffs in full attack mode, averaging over 26 points with strong playmaking and rebounding in Denver’s first championship run. His two-man game with Nikola Jokić shredded defences all spring, and by the Finals, he looked every bit like a star guard built for long playoff battles.
Fans had seen hints of this in the 2020 bubble, but 2023 felt like the finished version. Murray hit tough shots late in games, kept the offence organized when things got messy, and seemed to rise whenever the pressure spiked. By the time he lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy, he had secured his place among the greatest Canadian NBA champions and set a new target for young Canadian guards.
Oshae Brissett
One more name joined the list of Canadian champions in 2024 when Oshae Brissett earned a ring with the Boston Celtics. The Mississauga native took the long road, going undrafted in 2019 and splitting time between the G League and short stints with Toronto and Indiana while he rounded out his game. When he signed with Boston for the 2023-24 season, he settled in as a useful depth forward on a loaded roster and leaned into the things that kept him on the floor.
His role was modest in terms of minutes, but he brought energy on defence, attacked the glass, and gave Boston a jolt when the starters sat. During the Eastern Conference Finals, he put together a key defensive stretch that helped change the game. When the Celtics finished the job in the 2024 Finals, his first ring capped a story built on persistence and showed again how deep Canadian talent now runs across NBA benches.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The 2025 season pushed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into elite company, as the Hamilton, Ontario guard led the Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA championship. In a seven-game Finals, he claimed the Finals MVP, and in Game 7, he scored 29 points, handed out 12 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds in a 103-91 win that sealed the title and made him the 11th Canadian with an NBA ring.
By then, he was already an All-NBA First Team guard and former scoring leader, yet the championship changed how people viewed him. The Finals showed his smooth scoring and sharp playmaking under pressure, and that closing performance placed him among a group of players trusted to run everything on the biggest night. Bringing a title to Oklahoma City made him a national hero in Canada and gave weight to the idea that he might be the best Canadian player to win an NBA championship.
Luguentz Dort
One key piece of Oklahoma City’s 2025 title run was the rugged wing defender fans know as Lu Dort. The Montreal native became the 12th name on the list of Canadian player to win the NBA when the Thunder closed out Indiana. In the deciding Game 7, he chipped in 9 points with seven rebounds, added three steals, and spent the night chasing shooters and fighting over screens, with timely threes and physical defence that helped steady OKC’s rotation.
His path there was anything but easy, as Dort entered the league undrafted in 2019 and quickly built a reputation as a fearless stopper, even hounding James Harden in an early playoff series. Over time, he rounded out his offensive game and grew into a full-time starter on a contender, and winning the title alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed how far he had come and how much impact Canadian talent now has on winning teams.