Trophy Tour in the Queen City, Canada

TORONTO (Canada) – The excitement has never been great, the expectations so high for Canada’s national team as they are now before the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The Trophy Tour presented by J9, therefore, may end up having additional significance since Canada are one of the team with genuine designs on lifting the biggest prize in international basketball on September 10, when the Final is played in Manila, the Philippines.

Recently named head coach Jordi Fernandez was certainly enthusiastic and upbeat about the World Cup when as he went on Sportsnet (below) with the Naismith Trophy on the opening day of the tour in Toronto on July 13.

Next, the trophy was displayed at the Mattamy Athletic Centre during the Globl Jam 2023 and fans (below) took photos with it.

The following day saw the trophy taken to several iconic sites in Toronto, including the Flatiron Building (Gooderham Building).

This narrow downtown structure (below) was the first example of a flatiron-style building in North America, and is referred to locally as simply “the flatiron building.”

It was built in 1891 by the Gooderham family as offices for its distillery business.

Today it’s designated as a National Historic Site. Located in Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market neighborhood and on the edge of the financial district, it is home to some of the city’s most prized office space. The flatiron building is one of Toronto’s most photographed structures.

The CN tower is a 553.3 m-high concrete communications and observation tower

The trophy was photographed on Centre Island, with the CN tower standing prominently behind it.

Completed in 1976, the CBN Tower it is located in downtown Toronto and is built on the former Railway Lands. Its name “CN” referred to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower.

The Toronto Skyline when viewed from Centre Island always makes for a ideal backdrop

There is no better place to take a photo of the Naismith Trophy than on a basketball court. In this case, it was taken on the David Crombie Basketball court (above).

The trophy tour in Canada finished at the Gladstone Hotel, to coincide with the Canada Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Rowan Barrett, General Manager/Executive Vice-President Senior Men’s Program, at the Gladstone Hotel