76ers' Dalembert to join Team Canada

Philadelphia 76ers centre Samuel Dalembert will play for Canada's national basketball team after obtaining his Canadian citizenship Tuesday.

Dalembert, the 76ers' first-round pick (26th overall) in the 2001 NBA draft, was born in Haiti, but as a teenager he moved to Montreal where he won a Quebec high school championship.

He also played on the provincial team before finishing high school in New Jersey and earning a scholarship to Seton Hall University. His family still lives in the Montreal area.

"I wanted to join the Canadian team in 2003 but had a surgery and was out for their season and so it didn't work out," Dalembert said in a statement.

"But in the back of my mind I knew I always wanted to play for Canada and this time it worked out and just seemed to fit. To have the chance to play in the Olympics is really something special."

Dalembert averaged a career-best 10.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks with the 76ers last season, his fifth with the club.

Other notable Canadians playing in the NBA include Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash of Victoria and Portland Trail Blazers centre Jamaal Magloire of Toronto.

Team Canada heads to Las Vegas later this month to play in the Tournament of the Americas, a qualifying competition for next year's Olympics in Beijing.