A brand new documentary makes the case {that a} change in Canada’s immigration coverage greater than 50 years in the past has fuelled the nation’s present increase in NBA gamers.
“Inbound,” a brief movie on how Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s multiculturalism coverage within the early Nineteen Seventies introduced an inflow of immigrants to Canada whose kids and grandchildren are actually turning into skilled basketball gamers premiered in Toronto final week. After a restricted engagement in Cineplex theatres throughout the nation, it’s now accessible to be streamed on-line by TSN, Crave and the NBA app.
The household of Montreal’s Chris Boucher, a backup ahead for the Toronto Raptors, is prominently featured in “Inbound.” He mentioned that the documentary’s thesis mirrored his lived expertise.
“My household was positively a part of the immigration program and it positively reveals the chance it gave us,” mentioned Boucher, whose mom Mary MacVane emigrated from St. Lucia to Montreal.
Associated Movies
“Clearly, it feels good. It’s not one thing I get to speak about lots. It’s been a protracted journey to get the place we’re at proper now.”
Get breaking Nationwide information
For information impacting Canada and all over the world, join breaking information alerts delivered on to you after they occur.
Canada is second solely to the US in producing NBA gamers, with 22 on rosters in the beginning of the present season. Hamilton’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker of Toronto, RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., Toronto’s Zach Edey, in addition to Luguentz Dort and Bennedict Mathurin, each from Montreal, are among the NBA stars whose households are featured within the movie.
“As we checked out every of the gamers, it was a evident actuality that there’s this lovely background and ethnicity and journey to change into or have their alternative simply to be born in Canada,” mentioned government producer Mark Starkey. “When that began to indicate constantly of their tales, as we began to dig into these gamers’ histories, we simply thought, ‘gosh, there’s a wonderful basis right here to have a good time.’”
“Inbound” was proven in a double function with “We The North: From Prehistoric to Historic,” one other documentary concerning the 30-year historical past of the Raptors, at 43 theatres throughout Canada this previous weekend.
Starkey mentioned on Wednesday that the response he’d gotten after that restricted engagement was overwhelmingly optimistic.
“That was the aim, to have a good time a narrative that was actually a bit of bit untold, and I believe that we’re hitting that mark,” he mentioned. “We’re right here to shine a lightweight, a really, very vivid mild, on what it means to be a Canadian skilled basketball participant, but in addition to be a part of the basketball group, as a result of it’s simply booming.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Feb. 27, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
