Birch sees the positives in taking part in the FIBA World Cup. And unlike most other NBA types he has no one offering up advice, wanted or not. ““I don’t have an agent as of right now, so no,” he said when asked if anyone tried to dissuade him from coming. “Like I said Khem Birch decides Khem Birch’s career. If I get hurt it’s because Khem Birch got hurt and if Khem Birch wants to do something Khem Birch is going to do it.”
Khem Birch Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: C
Born: 09/28/92
Height: 6-9 / 2.06
Weight:209 lbs. / 94.8 kg.
Salary: $3,000,000
Born: 09/28/92
Height: 6-9 / 2.06
Weight:209 lbs. / 94.8 kg.
Salary: $3,000,000
“As you can see I’m doing things I have never done in the NBA that I’m getting to do right now,” he said referring to handling the ball and stepping outside to shoot. “That’s what a lot of guys don’t understand. Coach Nurse gives you the confidence and freedom to do whatever you want. Basically everything you want in the system you have here so I’m lucky.”
Mike Ganter: Khem Birch on his decision to play for Canada: “I don’t let anyone dictate my career or anything. I let Khem Birch dictate what he wants to do and Khem Birch decided to play for his country because I want to go to the Olympics.”
Canada’s hopes of advancing at the FIBA World Cup died with a 92-69 loss to Lithuania on Tuesday in Dongguan, China. Kyle Wiltjer had 24 points, while Cory Joseph had 15, but the seventh-ranked Lithuanians — who’d routed Senegal by 54 points two nights earlier — were too much for the undermanned Canadians, who are missing all but two of their NBA players in Joseph and Khem Birch.
Khem Birch’s turning point came as midnight brought in the year 2016. The Montreal-born basketball player was suiting up to play with a Turkish team, Usak Sportif, and was pondering his career moments before an away game in Gaziantep, Turkey, a war-torn city less than an hour away from the Syrian border, 8,500 kilometres away from his hometown. “Is this going to be my whole life?” he said. “Ever since then, I just took it seriously. I’ve been 100 per cent in.”
