With 'nothing to lose,' Steve Sir leads a hungry Canada into 3x3 basketball World Cup

Doug Harrison · CBC Sports

· Posted: Jun 10, 2025 9:47 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

A dejected Steve Sir stood connected a hoops tribunal with his Canadian teammates connected June 12, 2018 pursuing a quarterfinal nonaccomplishment successful the team's FIBA 3x3 World Cup debut successful Manila, Philippines.

Sir has played hoops since helium was six years aged and was an NCAA standout astatine Northern Arizona, but helium was greenish erstwhile it came to the fast-paced 3x3 format played connected a smaller tribunal with less players than the accepted five-on-five game.

The Netherlands scored 4 points successful 80 seconds connected that June time for an 18-16 triumph successful a 10-minute contention that included 5 pb changes. Canada held a 16-15 borderline with 73 seconds remaining connected the clock.

"The semifinals were close determination for us. Knowing that you are an inch distant from a accidental to play for a medal for your country, those aren't opportunities you get each day," Sir recalled past week. "It was heartbreaking not to instrumentality the adjacent step."

Seven years later, Canada volition person different accidental astatine a World Cup medal erstwhile 20 teams stitchery successful Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the ninth variation starting June 23. Sir is the lone returning subordinate of the squad, which opens excavation play the adjacent time against European powerhouse Austria and past China, which captured an Asia Cup metallic medal successful March.

WATCH | Canada eliminated successful quarterfinals of 2018 FIBA 3x3 World Cup;

With household and friends watching backmost location successful Edmonton, Sir expects the sweat, anticipation and nervousness to instrumentality erstwhile he's introduced for the Austria matchup with teammates Grant Audu, Jérôme Desrosiers and Alex Johnson.

Representing Canada and wearing the household sanction connected his backmost has been a lifelong imagination for Sir.

"One of my favourite Christmas gifts was getting the publication Long Shot: Steve Nash's Journey to the NBA erstwhile I was a teenager," Sir remembered portion speaking with CBC Sports recently. "A dense portion of that publication was Steve [the two-time NBA MVP and Hall of Famer] talking astir what it meant to play for Canada and however it was a lifelong dream. It near a large content connected me.

"My large imagination was playing Division 1 [college basketball] successful the [United] States, but my apex was ever getting the accidental to play for Canada."

FIBA 3x3 World Cup enactment from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia volition stream live connected CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem opening June 23 astatine 11 p.m. ET and proceed done June 29. For a afloat broadcast docket of 3x3 hoops events this season, click here.

Wearing a reddish zip-up apical with "Canada" written successful achromatic lettering supra his heart, Sir added the enactment from location during the 2018 World Cup has "kept maine motivated, kept maine playing and pursuing. It was a peculiar feeling."

From 2007 done 2016, Sir carved retired a nonrecreational vocation successful five-on-five hoops arsenic an integral subordinate of teams successful Mexico, Switzerland, Germany, Romania, Edmonton and Halifax.

WATCH | Steve Sir, 42, connected however agelong he'll play 3x3 basketball:

Five years later, the six-foot-five guardant tried to marque Canadian Olympic 3x3 teams. Canada won its archetypal 2 games astatine a 2021 qualifying tourney successful Graz, Austria earlier losing 2 consecutive and didn't scope the knockout stage. Last May, Canada had a 1-2 grounds successful excavation play but didn't unafraid a quarterfinal berth successful Debrecen, Hungary.

Now, the 42-year-old Sir is returning to the World Cup. Since 2022, helium has been surviving successful Mongolia, wherever helium plays and coaches elder and under-23 clubs. His woman Caitlin and daughters Isabelle and Lyla unrecorded successful Edmonton but person spent the bulk of the past 3 summers successful Mongolia.

Canada goes 3-0 to clinch World Cup berth

"That's the hardest part," Sir said of being separated from his family.

Canada secured 1 of 3 disposable World Cup spots connected May 25 with a 21-12 handling of Rwanda to headdress a 3-0 show successful Baku, Azerbaijan. Montenegro and Great Britain besides clinched berths.

Desrosiers led Canada with 7 points against Rwanda.

The Canadians took some matches a time earlier, with Sir posting 8 points and Audu 7 successful a 21-14 triumph implicit Great Britain. Sir led the mode with 10 points successful a 22-7 rout of Azerbaijan.

The six-foot-four Audu, from Toronto, is successful his archetypal play with the team. His archetypal large contention was the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup past December successful San Juan, Puerto Rico, wherever the Canadian programme picked up its first-ever medal, defeating Mexico and Dominican Republic for bronze.

The 27-year-old has brought an excitement and eagerness to the team, noted Sir, overmuch the mode Edmonton autochthonal Jermaine Bucknor did successful 2018 arsenic a newcomer.

"What makes maine arrogant of a subordinate similar Grant is he's not frightened of the large stage, understands the work and conscionable competes," Sir said.

In Mongolia, Canada volition besides look France, the 2024 Olympic metallic medallists, Chile and Puerto Rico, which placed 2nd astatine past year's AmeriCup.

WATCH | Sir connected a exemplary Canada tin travel to make 3x3 game:

The past 16 volition beryllium held June 27, followed by the quarterfinals the adjacent day. The semifinals, third-place games and last volition beryllium contested connected June 29.

"It's a tough, pugnacious radical but what a large accidental to compete. Let's spot what we tin do, thing to lose," said Sir, who was 4th successful scoring astatine the AmeriCup and named to the men's squad of the tournament.

"We sprout the shot well. We person bully playmaking, experience. Jérôme [Desrosiers] has been playing connected the World Tour the past fewer years and continues to get better. And Alex has represented Canada aggregate times and his enactment is invaluable."

In 2018, determination was "so much" Sir didn't cognize astir 3x3 hoops and plentifulness of country for improvement.

"It's a caller subject and there's caller nuances and intricacies you person to learn, not conscionable to amended but to germinate with the athletics and enactment effective," helium said. "Shooting has ever been my strength, but I person recovered antithetic ways to beryllium effectual — disconnected the dribble, astatine antithetic angles oregon with antithetic footwork oregon fakes.

"It inactive fires maine up each day, the things you tin bash wrong this athletics to get better. It's been a amusive journey."

More amusive could beryllium successful store should a World Cup medal beryllium placed astir Sir's neck.

"We're a beardown hoops country," helium said, "and we person a large accidental to showcase ourselves successful the spot we want."