The NBA is officially back.

The 2022-23 NBA season tipped off on Tuesday night with a doubleheader between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers and then a matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. Opening night was also ring night for the Warriors, who defeated the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals to win the 2022 NBA Championship in June.

The highlight for Canadian hoops fans, of course, was Canadian Andrew Wiggins, fresh off of inking a new contract extension that will keep him in Golden State for the next four years, receiving his championship ring.

After receiving his ring, Wiggins scored 20 points to go with six rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in Golden State’s 123-109 victory over the Lakers. He shot 8-for-14 from the floor, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

Wiggins wasn’t the only Canadian participating in opening night action. Burlington, Ontario native Mfiondu Kabengele didn’t log playing time for the Celtics in the first game of the night, but he was with the team after inking a two-way contract with Boston after a solid showing at Summer League.

There are 22 Canadian players on NBA opening rosters this year,  making it another record number of Canadian hoopers playing in the NBA. This also marks the ninth consecutive year that Canada is the most-represented country in the league outside of the U.S, with 15 of the league’s 30 teams featuring a Canadian on their roster.

The Toronto Raptors have three Canadians currently on the roster with big men Khem Birch and Chris Boucher as well as sophomore Dalano Banton. Though Boucher is listed by the NBA as being from St. Lucia and having ties to Canada, Boucher recently launched his foundation as the team played in Quebec against the Celtics for the NBA Canada Series last weekend. Though Boucher himself was unable to make the trip due to illness, his teammates and coaching staff showed up at the grand opening to show their support.

The Oklahoma City Thunder also have three Canadians on their roster, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, while Eugene Omoruyi is on a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Blue.

The Indiana Pacers match the Raptors and Thunder after drafting a pair of Canadians in the 2022 Draft, beginning with selecting Bennedict Mathurin sixth overall and then selecting Andrew Nembhard 31st overall. Mathurin and Nembhard join Oshae Brissett in Indiana.

Rookie’s Shaedon Sharpe and Caleb Houstan were selected one pick after Mathurin and Nembhard, respectively. Sharpe was selected seventh overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, while Houstan is in Orlando after being drafted by the Magic with the 32nd overall pick in this year’s draft.

Fourth-year guard RJ Barrett looks to continue building on a stellar 2021-22 season with the New York Knicks where he averaged a career-high 20 points per game to go with 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

In Memphis, Brandon Clarke and Dillon Brooks want to help the young Grizzlies continue to build and advance. Like Wiggins, Clarke enters the season after inking a four-year extension with the Grizzlies.

After a series of trades last season, you can now root for veteran Kelly Olynyk and fourth-year guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker together in Utah where they will be suiting up for the Jazz.

The aforementioned Kabengele is in Boston while Dwight Powell remains in Dallas for his ninth season with the Mavericks. Cory Joseph will play his third season as a member of the Detroit Pistons in his 12th NBA season.

Sophomore Joshua Primo is no longer the youngest player in the NBA as the 19-year-old enters his second season with the San Antonio Spurs while Trey Lyles will play his eighth NBA season in Sacramento for the Kings.

Finally, fans all over the globe are eagerly anticipating the return of Jamal Murray to the court for the Denver Nuggets after he missed all of last season due to ACL rehabilitation. Murray has spent all six of his NBA seasons in Denver where he plays alongside two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

With more Canadians than ever before playing in the NBA this season, there will be plenty of action for fans to check out each night.

We’ll be recapping the highlights of the Canadians in the NBA, as well as the Canadians hooping overseas and everywhere in between each week right here on basketball.ca.