Gordie Herbert played for Canada at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. And now he's in position to coach Canada at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Canada Basketball brought Herbert — who coached Germany to a World Cup title in 2023 — home on Thursday, announcing that the British Columbia native will take over as its men's national team coach in 2026. His first two major international events as Canada's coach would be the 2027 World Cup in Qatar and the Olympics a year later.
Herbert is taking over for Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez, who stepped down as Canada's coach earlier this year after leading the country to a bronze medal at the 2023 World Cup and a fifth-place finish at last year's Paris Olympics.
“I’m incredibly honored and excited for the opportunity to coach my home country,” Herbert said. “Canada Basketball has made tremendous progress in recent years, and the depth of talent in the program is as good as anywhere in the world."
Herbert stepped aside as Germany's coach after last year's Paris Games. He led Germany to the World Cup title in the Philippines, then took that team to a fourth-place finish at the Olympics.
Canada has made great strides internationally in recent years, climbing to No. 6 in FIBA's current world rankings — behind the U.S., Serbia, Germany, France and Spain. The Canadians were third at the 2023 World Cup, beating the Americans for the bronze medal, and have a core led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, R.J. Barrett and Lugentz Dort.
“His championship pedigree, command of the FIBA game, and understanding of what it takes to compete for medals on the world stage make him the ideal leader for this next chapter of Canada Basketball," Canada Basketball general manager and executive vice president Rowan Barrett said.
Canada hasn't medaled at the Olympics in men's basketball since a silver in 1936. The bronze it won at the 2023 World Cup was its first medal in that competition. Herbert — currently the coach at Bayern Munich — will be asked to add to that collection.
“It’s great to welcome Gordie back to our program,” Barrett said. “He knows what it means to represent Canada and brings the experience, leadership, and vision to guide this group through the next chapter of our journey.”
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Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
