Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies set NBA record for most Canadians in one NBA game

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The Toronto Raptors were in the record books for all sorts of reasons on Thursday night.

Taking on the Memphis Grizzlies on the road, Toronto gave up its most points in franchise history with a 155-126 loss on the evening.

In a game where head coach Darko Rajakovic got thrown out for arguing a call with an official and the team was blown out by 29 points, it would be easy to say it was a contest that won’t necessarily be looked back on fondly by Raptors fans.

But just as they set an all-time team high in the worst way, one neat bit of trivia will be added to the NBA record books, even if it wasn’t the closest contest.

As per TSN’s Keerthika Uthayakumar, the Raptors and the Grizzlies saw six Canadian players enter the game on Thursday, which topped the previous record of five on 16 different occasions.

RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Chris Boucher, and AJ Lawson took the floor for Toronto, while Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke suited up for Memphis. It was the first game against his hometown Raptors for Edey, who was selected ninth overall this past year after an electric four-year career at Purdue.

Barrett and Olynyk represented Canada at the 2024 Olympics in France this past summer, while Edey and Clarke were rumoured to make the final roster but neither ended up making the trip. Edey decided to withdraw his name from consideration to help prepare for his first NBA season, while Clarke was dealing with injury rehab.

In a way, it’s fitting that the Grizzlies were the opponent that the Raptors faced off against for the record-setting night. As many know, the franchise originally played in Vancouver for six seasons from 1995-2001, before departing for Tennessee, where they’ve been ever since. The two teams wore throwback jerseys on the evening, with Toronto sporting purple uniforms and Memphis wearing white ones that read “Vancouver Grizzlies” on the front.

While the continued development of Canadian basketball players might one day make Thursday night far from notable, it’s still pretty cool to celebrate little milestones along the way.

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