Hey hey hey, Enjoyers! We know there’s NFL 🏈 and US Open 🎾 on today, but we’re pumped to talk some ball with you real quick. How pumped? Just look to James Edward Harden Jr:

Today’s Lineup

🌍 First Players EVER From Their Countries

Basketball is a global game, but for a few countries their NBA flag is planted by a single guy. And honestly, that makes their careers even cooler. So here are the four current NBA players to be the only man ever to represent their country in the NBA:

🇱🇨 Chris Boucher: You may remember Saint Lucia, the tiny island nation in the Caribbean, from the viral video of the island celebrating its first ever gold medal 🥇 during the 2024 Olympics. But the country’s biggest achievement to date may be claiming our GOAT Chris Boucher. Once undrafted, the big man fought his way up from a two-way contract to becoming a key rotation player during Toronto’s 2019 title run. Given Boston’s depleted frontcourt, Queta could be starting games this year. 👀

🇦🇹 Jakob Pöeltl: Ah yes, Austria—home of The Sound of Music and exactly one NBA player. Pöeltl, who played college ball at Utah, was a key piece in Toronto’s trade for Kawhi Leonard (haven’t heard much about him lately 🤔) and has turned into one of the league’s most reliable big men. Speaking of Poeltl, when was the last time you played the player guessing game! ⬇️

🇵🇹 Neemias Queta: The Cristiano Ronaldo of Basketball? From a nationality perspective, this must be true. Portugal’s first and only NBA player, the 7-footer carved out a role as a rim protector at the end of the Celtics bench. This year, Queta will be fighting with Boucher and Luka Garza for center minutes in Boston. 💪 

🇦🇴 Bruno Fernando: Representing Angola, a Southern African nation better known for soccer dominance, Fernando has logged minutes with the Hawks, Celtics, and Rockets, bringing toughness and energy down low. We’re technically cheating with this one, as though Fernando played 17 games last season for the Raptors, he took his talents this summer to Spain’s Real Madrid. Truly the Kylian Mbappé of Angolan hoops. 

🙏 Siakam’s Fashion and Philanthropy

Just off of an NBA Finals appearance, Pascal Siakam is spending his summer in style. Growing up in Cameroon, he was a huge football (soccer) fan, and this summer he’s been flexing some serious retro kit heat. 🔥 

Siakam rocked the all-white Real Madrid Galácticos look, a bold blue Porto classic, a throwback Manchester United kit from their glory days, and the timeless red-and-black of AC Milan. One of the best uses of an $189M contract we can think of! 😂 

On a more wholesome note, Siakam picked up a new title this fall—and it wasn’t All-Star or Finals MVP. The University of New Brunswick awarded him an honorary Doctor of Letters, recognizing both his basketball career and his work off the court.

The bigger story, though, is what he did with the spotlight. Through his PS43 Foundation, Siakam partnered with UNB’s McKenna Institute to launch a $200,000 scholarship program in memory of his late father. The fund is aimed at supporting students from Cameroon who want to study computer science and tech, helping open doors for the next generation back home.

The 2008 Redeem Team was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame yesterday in Springfield, Massachusetts to honor their iconic place in basketball history. After the disappointing Bronze Medal finish in 2004, legends LeBron, Kobe, and Carlos Boozer put the country on their backs. 🇺🇸 

Remember how freakin’ good that team was? Prime Dwight Howard. Pre-injury Dwayne Wade. USA all-time leading scorer Carmelo Anthony. It was like you playing mini-hoop basketball against a younger sibling. Is it fair? No. Entertaining? Absolutely.

Signing Off

Go Enjoy the first football Sunday of the year! The first NBA basketball Sunday comes in exactly 7 weeks, but who’s counting? 🙃 

Conor Geelan