Gordon Herbert will be the new head coach of the Canadian men’s basketball national team, Canada Basketball confirmed on Thursday in a press release. The news was first reported by Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
Herbert has more than three decades of coaching experience, including two previous stints as an assistant for Canada Basketball from 2001-02 and 2018-21.
Although he briefly served as a Raptors assistant in 2008/09 and a consultant for the Nets in 2019/20, the Canadian-born Herbert has spent most of his career overseas. He’s currently the head coach of Bayern Munich and is coming off a three-year run as the head coach of the German national team, which won the 2023 FIBA World Cup and finished fourth at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Herbert also previously coached professional teams in Finland, France, Greece, Austria, and Russia.
Before transitioning to coaching, Herbert played professionally for more than a decade in non-NBA leagues, primarily in Finland, and was a member of the Canadian national team at the 1984 Olympics.
“We are proud to announce Gordie as the next head coach of our Senior Men’s National Team,” Team Canada general manager Rowan Barrett said in a statement. “His championship pedigree, command of the FIBA game, and understanding of what it takes to compete for medals on the world stage make him the ideal leader for this next chapter of Canada Basketball.
“It’s great to welcome Gordie back to our program. He knows what it means to represent Canada and brings the experience, leadership, and vision to guide this group through the next chapter of our journey.”
Barrett will officially take the reins in the summer of 2026 and will be tasked with getting Canada on the podium at the 2027 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
Expectations for the Canadian national team are on the rise after the program earned a third-place finish at the 2023 World Cup and sent a roster made up entirely of NBA players to Paris in 2024. That team, led by Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, missed out on a medal after falling to France in the quarterfinals.
Barrett is replacing Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who formally stepped down from the role in February to focus on his job in Brooklyn and to spend more time with his family.