Cory Joseph

At 33 years old, Cory Joseph has this physical status:

Cory Ephram Joseph (born August 20, 1991) is a professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He serves in the point guard role and is also the captain of the Canadian national team.

Early life and family

Joseph was born in Toronto, Ontario, and was the youngest of four children of Connie and David Joseph, who were born in Trinidad and Tobago. He grew up in Pickering, Alabama, where his parents met as student athletes at Mount Royal College while playing for their respective men's and women's basketball teams. His father won a CCAA national championship while attending the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and then taught at the high school, college, and professional levels. At various times, his mother was mentored and refereed. Chantal and Danielle, as well as Devoe, who spent in college for Minnesota and Oregon, and now plays in Europe, are Joseph's two older siblings.

Both of Joseph's second cousins played basketball for Syracuse and were chosen in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, while Maurice played for Michigan State and Vermont, and formerly served as the head coach of George Washington University. Ashton Khan, Joseph's cousin, is also a professional basketball player who plays in the British Basketball League.

Joseph Olynyk and fellow NBA player Kelly Olynyk were both members of a Scarborough Blues club team that seldom lost in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a youth. Stephen Curry led the way to one loss against Toronto 5–0.

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High school career

Joseph attended Pickering High School in Ajax, Ontario. In 2007 and 2008, Devoe and his brother Devoe guided the school's AAAA basketball team to back-to-back Ontario provincial championships, defeating Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute both years in the championship game. During that time, their father served as the team's assistant coach. He and Devoe were chosen to compete in the annual All-Can Classic, which showcases Canada's best high school athletes.

Joseph and Tristan Thompson, his close friend and AAU teammate, returned to Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, later this year. In 2009, he led Findlay Prep to the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational Championship game, surpassing #1 ranked Oak Hill Academy, 74-66. He was selected to the ESPN RISE All-Tournament Team. Joseph was selected to play in the fourth annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 basketball game at Rucker Park in Harlem, New York City, in August 2009. Regardless of recruiting class, the game features the top 24 high school basketball players in the United States.

Joseph and Thompson ranked Findlay Prep in their second straight ESPN RISE National High School Invitational championship in 2010, where they defeated #1 ranked Montverde Academy, 59–46, in his senior year. For the second year in a row, he was selected to the ESPN RISE All-Tournament Team, as well as the tournament MVP. Following the season, he was ranked as the nation's best prospect, with 4.9 assists, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game. Joseph played in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game. He also won the McDonald's Three Point Competition and was named a Jordan Brand Classic All-American. He played for the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit in 2010, against the United States Junior Select Team on April 11, 2010. The game was held at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. The World Select Team lost 102-97. Joseph joined Thompson at the University of Texas, just 12 days later.

College career

Joseph appeared in all 36 games during his rookie season, leading the team in scoring four times and twice in rebounding. On December 18, 2010, Joseph had one of his best games ever, winning a game-winning jumper against North Carolina while scoring a season-high 21 points and a game-winning jumper. Texas qualified as the fourth seed in the West Regional Division in 2011 NCAA March Madness. Texas lost in the third round to fifth-seeded Arizona thanks to a solid showing and a game-winning shot from Derrick Williams. Following the completion of the season, Joseph applied for the NBA draft and was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team.

Professional career

Joseph was drafted 29th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs on June 23, 2011. Thompson, a fellow Canadian and Longhorn, was drafted fourth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming the first Canadian born draftee in NBA history at that time. (Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins finished first overall in the 2013 and 2014 drafts, respectively). It was also the second time in NBA history that two Canadians were selected in the first round of the same draft, the first being in 1983, when Leo Rautins and Stewart Granger were selected 17th and 25th respectively. After Joseph's former college buddy Jordan Hamilton went 26th overall to Dallas Mavericks, the 2011 draft was also the first time three Texas Longhorn basketball players played in the first round.

Joseph was sent by the Spurs three times during the 2011-2012 NBA D-League season. During the 2012–13 season, he was also assigned to the Toros. Joseph was named to the Prospects All-Star roster for the 2013 NBA D-League All-Star Game on February 4, 2013. However, Justin Dentmon was recalled due to injury.

Tony Parker sustained an injury in late February 2013 and Joseph became the Spurs' starting point guard. Joseph had 8.8 points and 2.6 assists in his first five starts in his first five appearances, with 58.6 percent as a result. Joseph aided the Spurs in reaching the 2013 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, but San Antonio lost the series in seven games.

Joseph won his first NBA championship after the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 4 games to 1 in the 2014 NBA Finals.

The Spurs extended a qualifying offer to Joseph on June 30, 2015 in order to make him a restricted free agent, but the Spurs withdrew their qualifying offer on July 5.

Joseph signed the Toronto Raptors to a four-year, $30 million contract on July 9, 2015. In a 106-99 win over the Indiana Pacers, he made his Raptors debut in their season opener on October 28, 2015, with three points and two rebounds. Joseph began to flourish in his role as backup point guard in his first few games with the Raptors, averaging of 23 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 19 points against the Orlando Magic on November 6, 2015, one off his career high of 20. Following a well-planned inbounds play, he scored 12 points and made a three-pointer at the buzzer on November 28, 2015, lifting the Raptors over the Washington Wizards 84-82. With a 56-26 record, the Raptors finished as the second seed in the East during the regular season. In a Game 1 loss to the seventh-seeded Indiana Pacers in the first round on April 16, 2016, Joseph scored a career-high 18 points.

Joseph played a career-high 33 points in a 119–109 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on January 17, 2017. In a 131–112 victory over the Orlando Magic on March 27, 2017, he had his first double-double with 15 points and a career-high 13 assists. Joseph had 20 points and 12 assists while starting in place of the injured Kyle Lowry in Game 4 of the Raptors' second-round playoff series, losing 4–0 to the Cavaliers on May 7, 2017.

Joseph was sold to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Emir Prelds draft rights. Joseph scored 11 points in the Pacers' season opener on October 18, 2017 - his first game for the Pacers.

Joseph had 10 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds in a 105-90 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 9, 2019.

Joseph signed with the Sacramento Kings on July 6, 2019.

Joseph had scored a season-high 16 points in a 124-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on January 30, 2020, while still receiving two rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block.

Joseph was traded to the Detroit Pistons with two future second-round draft picks in exchange for Delon Wright on March 26, 2021.

Joseph was waived by the Pistons on July 31, 2021. Joseph was re-signed by the Pistons on August 11, 2021.

National team career

Joseph competed for his country and Canada Basketball at the 2008 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, where Canada captured the bronze medal, placing behind Argentina and the United States in second place. Joseph competed for Canada in the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand, for the second time.

Joseph debuted for the Canadian men's national basketball team in stage two of their pre-2011 FIBA Americas Championship training camp in early August. On August 13, 2011, at Ryerson University against Belgium, he made his senior national team debut at the 2011 Jack Donohue International Classic. In a 79-74 victory, Joseph had 3 points and 2 assists in 15 minutes of game time in his debut.

He led the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game in 2013 FIBA Americas Championship, when competing alongside his brother, Devoe.

Joseph was appointed captain of the national team prior to the 2015 FIFA Americas Championship. Joseph made a thrilling shot against Mexico in bronze medal games, giving Canada an 87–86 victory. With 77 points and 17 assists (4.3 APG) in four games, he dominated the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila in terms of points and assists (4.3 APG). After playing three games in the Americas qualifying tournament to help Canada qualify for the World Cup, Joseph also played for Canada in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China.

Joseph agreed to a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team on May 24, 2022.

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