The Canadian national men’s basketball team will play host to Nigeria in a pre-World Cup game on Aug. 9 at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg.
The exhibition game will conclude the home team’s camp in Canada.
The team departs for Australia on Aug. 10 and will face the Aussies in two pre-tournament games Aug. 16-17.
Canada opens the World Cup on Sept. 1 against Australia in Dongguan, China.
Nigeria finished first in one of two African qualification groups for the World Cup. Canada also finished in top spot in one of two Americas qualification groups.
It will mark the Canadian team’s first game in Winnipeg since the 1999 Pan American Games.
“Only a few weeks away from the start of the FIBA World Cup, our game in Winnipeg will be very important for our team’s preparation. I expect we’ll have Canada’s most talented team ever, with most of our NBA players proudly representing their country.”
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Canada’s team could feature rising NBA stars like Andrew Wiggins, Tristan Thompson, Jamal Murray, Chris Boucher, or Kelly Olynyk.
“Team Canada vs. Team Nigeria is going to be a world-class athletic event that will allow Winnipeg fans to show their support for Team Canada and be a part of their journey as they compete to get to the World Cup,” True North Sports & Entertainment senior vice-president of venues & entertainment Kevin Donnelly said.
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