Montreal is finally getting a basketball team

The Canadian Elite Basketball League is expanding to Montreal in 2022. The league was founded in 2019, 80% of its players are Canadian-born. This marks the second expansion team after Ottawa this past season.

While there was initially some optimism for basketball in Montreal to begin this year, CEBL commissioner Mike Morreale emphasized a desire to delay for both organizational purposes and the hope that fans will be able to attend once next year rolls around.

“We’re taking a much more collaborative approach with the city [of Montreal] and with the venue to make sure that when we are ready to launch, that we have everybody onside,” he explained to CBC News. (Morreale is a two-time CFL Grey Cup Champion, having enjoyed career success with both the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.)

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Much like the end of last year’s NBA season, the CEBL chose a bubble format for its 2020 games. A fanless tournament took place in St. Catharines, Ontario, with mandatory quarantine for players coming from outside of the country and routine COVID-19 tests during the season. It was there that the Edmonton Stingers were crowned champions.

Many former NBA players have found roles in the CEBL. Montreal’s own Joel Anthony, who won two championships with the Miami Heat, is a consultant for the Hamilton Honey Badgers. Most recently, former Los Angeles Clippers centre Diamond Stone signed with the Guelph Nighthawks.

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