Jul 6, 2020
On today’s show we welcome Mike Melnychuk, former University of Alberta Golden Bear and CIS champion. The game of basketball has changed significantly since his time at U of A and he talks about what it was like then when the chances of a Canadian making it to the NBA were rare compared to today where so many opportunities exist for Canadian talent and over 150 Canadians are playing basketball at the NCAA level.
Mike recalls what it was like when the NBA expanded into Canada, the potential for a second Canadian team, what things might look like over the next few years as we experience the fallout from the global pandemic, how this will impact future collective agreements and what the impact might be on all major league sports.
Mike shares his thoughts on the chances of the NBA season actually starting up as planned and what will carry more sway - COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement vs players wanting to get back on the court and the economics behind these choices as well as the chances of the Canadian Olympic team making it to the podium in Tokyo 2021.
The podcast wraps up with Mike talking about what it was like to transition away from the dream of playing professional basketball onto a new career path, how playing sports helped prepare him and his advice for young people today looking for careers outside of basketball. Tune in to another great episode!