TORONTO (July 28, 2025) – Michelle Plouffe is retiring from international basketball. But she’s not going far.

After more than a decade representing Canada across both 5-on-5 and 3x3, the three-time Olympian is stepping off the court and into a new role as 3x3 Performance Manager with Canada Basketball — the very program she helped build from the ground up.

“This journey has always been more than just playing basketball,” Plouffe said. “It’s been about people, purpose, planting seeds and watching them grow.”

She leaves behind a playing career that spanned continents, generations, and formats — and yet somehow always remained rooted in the same things: faith, family, and a fierce commitment to representing Canada with integrity.

From her Olympic debut in London to helping lead Canada to a fourth-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics in 3x3, Plouffe has been a pillar of the national team program. Her versatility and vision were unmatched, but her impact has always extended beyond box scores.

“Michelle’s legacy will not be measured solely by the number of medals she won, on the court — it’s as important to recognize the culture she helped build for our 3x3 program, off the court,” said Michael Bartlett, President and CEO of Canada Basketball. “She led with humility, but also with an unquestionable drive to make herself and her teammates better, in their efforts to represent Canada around the world.”

“Now, as a member of our high performance staff, Michelle will continue to impact the trajectory of our 3x3 program, and the winning culture of Canada Basketball, as a whole.”

Plouffe’s national team journey began earlier than most. At 17, she was invited to senior team training camp after standout seasons with Team Alberta and the junior national team. She made the roster — and cancelled her summer plans to join a European tour with veterans like Teresa Gabriele, Shona Thorburn, Kim Gaucher and Chelsea Aubry.

“I think I was 17, maybe I had just turned 18,” Plouffe said. “I remember my first trip — we were in Spain and France — and I was rooming with Chelsea Aubry. I almost missed team dinner because I was just in the grocery store too long.”

She laughs now, but that summer left a lasting mark. “Those women showed me what it meant to play for something bigger than yourself. They built a culture I was able to inherit.”

“They didn’t just show me how to compete — they showed me how to lead, how to serve, how to carry yourself with pride. It’s not something you forget.”

By 2012, Plouffe found herself on Canada’s Olympic roster — one of the youngest players on a team that would go on to reach the quarterfinals in London. Her twin sister, Katherine, hadn’t made the final cut but flew in to surprise her — a moment Michelle still calls one of the most meaningful of her career.

“I lost a bit of my gratitude in the whirlwind of it all,” she said. “But seeing Kat in the stands reminded me why I was there.”

Four years later, the sisters shared the court together at the Rio Olympics — another core memory, this time built on love, longevity and hard work.

“That summer in Rio — being teammates on the biggest stage — was special because of what we had been through. Because we got there together.”

Plouffe went on to play professionally overseas, but in 2019, her path shifted. Alongside a small group of teammates, including her sister Katherine, she helped launch Canada’s 3x3 program — with little more than belief, experience, and a willingness to try something new.

“We didn’t know what we were doing,” she said. “We just knew we wanted to compete for Canada — and 3x3 gave us a different path.”

Under her leadership, Canada quickly emerged as a global contender. The team didn’t qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but rebounded in historic fashion to finish fourth at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Along the way, Plouffe and her teammates captured multiple Women’s Series titles and a silver medal at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup.

“People ask what made us think we could just form a team and go to the Olympics,” Plouffe said. “The truth is, I don’t know. But I never once thought we couldn’t.”

But more than wins, Michelle is proud of the environment they built.

“We wanted people to feel valued when they joined our team — like they could show up fully, speak up, be themselves.”

That intentional culture extended beyond players, as she described the 3x3 group as “the kind of people you want to build a program around.”

That was no accident.

“We never set out to be the best team in the world — we set out to be the best people to play with,” Plouffe said. “And we believed the rest would follow. You don’t plant fruit. You plant seeds,” she said. “We planted encouragement. We planted trust. We planted love. That’s what grew.”

Now, as she transitions into her new role off the court, that same approach guides her.

“I want to be a person of value who values people,” she said. “And this role allows me to keep doing that — to help shape the future of 3x3, mentor the next wave, and continue growing the program in a meaningful way.”

“This isn’t a goodbye,” Plouffe said. “It’s just a new way to contribute.”

For Plouffe, retirement isn’t the end of something — it’s the evolution of a purpose she’s always carried.

“I wouldn’t have made it through this journey without my family,” she said. “My parents, sisters and loved ones have supported me in every chapter. They’ve encouraged me when I doubted myself, celebrated the highs, and helped carry me through the lows. I’m so grateful for the love and stability they’ve always given me. This has always been a shared journey.

“Basketball doesn’t define me. It never did,” she said. “I’ve loved this sport, but I’ve never needed it to know who I am. My worth isn’t based on medals or minutes — it’s based on who I am and who I’ve become through the process, and I'm grateful for the journey."

That perspective — grounded in humility, and gratitude — has been a throughline since the beginning. “Even when I was wrestling with why I was still playing, I knew I had purpose outside the game.

“I hope young athletes hear that,” she added. “Your value isn’t tied to performance. You matter because of who you are, not what you achieve.”.

Michelle Plouffe’s name belongs among the greats — not only for what she’s accomplished, but for how she’s done it: with grace, grit and an unwavering commitment to something bigger than herself.

She was never just playing for medals. She was playing for meaning — and for everyone who would come next.

And while her jersey may be hung up, her fingerprints will be all over the future of Canadian basketball.