It Came From Canada
by Brad Friedman

Round One: Aug. 11st to Aug. 14th
Answer the questions below and enter for a chance to win an autographed jersey or a trip to one of nine international destinations. Play every week!

Round Two: Aug. 15th to August 21th

1.  Toronto was the site of the NBA's very first game on Nov. 1, 1946, with the Toronto Huskies hosting the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens. Can you identify the number of fans the
2,356
7,090
14,345

2.  Which of the following is not true about Steve Nash?
His mother was an Olympic swimmer.
His father, John, played professional soccer in South Africa and England.
His brother, Martin, plays professional soccer and formerly played first division in England and for the Canadian National Team.

3.  Jamaal Magloire's favorite movie is:
Blade
Mission Impossible 3
The Ten Commandments
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Canadians might not be basketball-crazed like the Serbs. They may not boast a top professional domestic league like the Spaniards. But for all you hear about Canada being a hockey country, the nation has produced a pair of world-class talents in Steve Nash and Jamaal Magloire, as well as the inventor of the sport itself.


Steve Nash (NBAE/Getty)

James Naismith was born in 1861 on a small family farm in rural Canada. While at McGill University, Naismith developed a passion for sports that included lacrosse, rugby, football, golf and fencing. Upon graduation from McGill, James accepted a position as an instructor at the YMCA in Springfield, Mass.

Having been given the task of creating a new indoor sports activity while conducting a physical education class, Naismith designed what we now call basketball.

He created the game from a set of 13 original rules. Because Naismith wanted a non-violent game that could be played inside, the first seven rules consist of set guidelines for play, with scoring not even mentioned until the eighth rule. Though the rules have been modified over time, and two peach baskets and a soccer ball have been replaced with newer equipment, the essential principles remain constant.

And, even though it took place in the United States, at least 10 of the players who participated in the first-ever basketball game staged by Naismith were university students from Quebec.

Two centuries later, a young student in Victoria B.C. would grow into one of the best players to ever compete in the sport. This year Suns guard Steve Nash joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone and Bob Pettit as the only multiple winners of the MVP trophy in NBA history having earned that honor in each of the last two seasons.

"Never ever did I have that dream (of winning an MVP)," Nash said about his days as a youngster. "It's incredible -- I think that's what makes me feel uncomfortable in some ways. Victoria B.C. is a long way from the NBA let alone the MVP. Sometimes I look back at how far I've come, and it is strange, because I felt like I was in a different world growing up."

Nash was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career in 2004-05, and was a member of the All-NBA Third Team in 2001-02 and 2002-03. He's played in four All-Star games in 10 seasons.

Another recent Canadian All-Star includes Trail Blazers center Jamaal Magloire, who was selected as an Eastern Conference reserve in 2004 and tallied 19 points and eight rebounds in that game. Like Nash, Magloire spent his whole life in Canada before coming to the U.S. to play NCAA basketball and eventually in the NBA.

He owns career averages of 9.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in six seasons in the league.

As for Nash, he's played for the Canadian National Team. Hoops teams representing Canada have participated in Olympic Games since 1936 and in the World Championships since 1954.

One of the most storied amateur teams in Canadian basketball history is the Edmonton Commercial Graduates (Grad's), a group of Canadian women who dominated the sport in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Over 25 years, the Grad's played 522 games at home and abroad, against both women's and men's teams. The Grad's accomplished a record-breaking winning streak of 147 games and throughout their basketball tenure won a remarkable 502 times.

Not only does basketball have its origins in Canada, but so does the National Basketball Association. The NBA's first game was played in Toronto 60 years ago, on Nov. 1, 1946 when the New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68-66 at Maple Leaf Gardens. The teams were part of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the forerunner to the NBA.

In 1995, the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies became the first non-U.S. cities to join the league since the Toronto Huskies were one-year members of the BAA. In summer 2001, the Grizzlies relocated from Vancouver to Memphis, Tenn.