BROOKLYN, New York (July 29, 2021) -- Canada basketball fans got to hear some familiar names announced at the 2021 NBA Draft as some new Canadians were welcomed into the league on Thursday. A pair of Canadians were drafted back-to-back in the first round and then a third Canadian player was selected in the second round of the draft that took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The first Canadian’s name to go up on the board was Josh Primo who was drafted 12th overall by the San Antonio Spurs. Primo, a Mississauga, Ont., native declared for the draft following his freshman season at Alabama where he was the youngest player in college basketball this season. The 6-foot-6 guard was named to the SEC All-Freshman First-Team, averaging 8.1 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 43 percent form the floor and 38 percent from beyond the arc.

Prior to his college career, a 16-year-old Primo represented Canada in Greece at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 and was the youngest player on the team. After Primo’s name was called, Ontario Basketball was quick to tweet a congratulations to one of their own alumni, complete with perfect childhood photo:

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Immediately after Primo was selected 12th overall, Chris Duarte was selected 13th overall by the Indiana Pacers. Though Duarte was born in Montreal, Que., he was raised in the Dominican Republic before moving to New York to finish out his high school career.

After spending two seasons at Northwest Florida State College, Duarte transferred to the University of Oregon where he made an immediate impact, averaging 12.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals in his first season with the Ducks. A year later, Duarte was awarded the 2021 Jerry West Award as the top shooting guard in men’s college basketball as he helped lead Oregon to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Duarte averaged 17.1 points per game in his final season in Oregon and was named the AP Pac-12 Player of the Year. He was one of just seven seniors to be selected in the 2021 NBA Draft.

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In the second round, the Toronto Raptors selected Dalano Banton with the 46th overall pick. For Banton, a Toronto native, the selection means he gets to return home after attending high school and university in the United States. A 6'9" guard, Banton averaged 9.6 points per game and was the team leader in rebounding (5.9), and assists (3.9). He also averaged 1.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per game during the 2020-21 season for Nebraska.

Banton also put himself in the Nebraska record books when he recorded the second triple-double in school history with a 13-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in a blowout win against Doane University. Via huskers.com, Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg’s reaction to Banton getting drafted:

"Dalano came to Nebraska two years ago with a goal of wanting to reach the NBA and has worked hard to make that goal a reality. Everyone in our program is happy for Dalano because so few people are selected each year. It should also serve as motivation for our current team with the system we play that gives our players an opportunity to work in an NBA-style system."

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In a video of Banton watching Deputy NBA Commissioner Mark Tatum announce his name, his excitement over becoming the first Canadian player drafted by the Toronto Raptors was easily evident. Banton is excited to be headed home.

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Shortly after the draft concluded, teams got busy working the phone lines, signing players to two-way contracts and summer league deals. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that South Carolina’s AJ Lawson agreed to a deal with the Miami Heat.

Lawson, a 6'6" guard, from the University of South Carolina, averaged 16.6 points per game in his third season with the Gamecocks. He scored a career-high 30 points in a Gamecocks victory this past January and was named to the SEC All-Second Team for the 2020-21 season.

The Brampton, Ont., native is familiar with Team Canada, playing for Canada in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2018, where he averaged 14.8 points per game. A year later, at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019, Lawson was Team Canada’s leading scorer, averaging 16.7 points per contest in the tournament.

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Also joining the NBA ranks was Eugene Omoruyi, who signed a deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

While he has never represented Canada in international competition, Omoruyi attended training camp with the Senior Men's National Team prior to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China. Prior to his time at Rutgers and then Oregon, Omoruyi attended high school at Orangeville Prep where he was teammates with current Canadian NBAers Jamal Murray and Thon Maker.

After transferring to Oregon, Omoruyi made an immediate impact in first game as an Oregon Duck, scoring a career-high 31 points to go with 11 rebounds in his debut. In Omoruyi’s senior season, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the Ducks and he was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team.

Of course, there are always players who are left disappointed by night’s end. For those who went undrafted, encouragement from someone who has been there can mean the world.

Oklahoma City Thunder star and Montreal-born forward, Luguentz Dort logged on shortly after the draft to tweet an important reminder for those who may not have heard their named called on Thursday.

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After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Dort signed a two-way contract with the Thunder. He continued working on his game and stayed the course. Now with his second NBA season in the rearview, Dort is already one of the most talented young players in the league and is widely considered one of the league's top perimeter defenders.