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Andrew and Ryan Nembhard grew up playing basketball together, starting with a Little Tikes net in their family living room, but it has been more than a decade since they have played together on a competitive team.
The brothers from Aurora, Ont., are both on Canada’s men’s national team for the current FIBA Americas World Cup qualifying window. The Nembhards helped Canada beat Puerto Rico 110-84 on Friday and were on the court in Hamilton again on Monday against Jamaica, where they registered a 116-78 victory.
“Seventh grade, eighth grade, we played middle school basketball together,” said 26-year-old Andrew, who is three years older than Ryan. “It’s going to be a lot of fun just having him around, being able to compete together on the same side of the floor.”
Ryan Nembhard, fresh off his rookie season with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, has been looking forward to playing with his brother.
“First time since, like, elementary school,” said Ryan. “It’ll be fun. It’s cool to just be out there with everybody. Great group of guys, so I’m excited.”
When rookies are introduced to new teams, they’re usually paired with a veteran player to show them the ropes. Andrew said he was probably Ryan’s de facto veteran.
“I guess so? I feel like I’m still one of the young guys,” said the older Nembhard at Canada’s training camp. “He’ll figure it out on the fly by watching and observing.”
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points
Andrew Nembhard impressed in Canada’s rout of Puerto Rico at Hamilton’s TD Coliseum with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal. He was leading all scorers in the game until two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 26 in front of his hometown crowd.
Ryan Nembhard had four points, two assists and two steals in his 11 minutes of play in his senior team debut on Friday.
On Monday, Andrew Nembhard had 17 points, four rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes of action, while brother Ryan had three points, three rebounds and five assists in 18:24 of action.
“It’s special. I’m excited for the opportunity to, of course, always have a great time playing on the young teams with some of my best friends,” said the younger Nembhard, who represented Canada at the 2018 FIBA under-16 Americas Championship and again at the 2021 FIBA under-19 World Cup. “It’s always nice to represent the country and look forward to doing it again.”
Andrew Nembhard had 16.9 points, 7.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game for the Indiana Pacers over 57 games in the 2025-26 season. Ryan Nembhard averaged 6.6 points, 5.3 assists and 2.2 rebounds over 60 games with Dallas last season.
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