TORONTO — Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy swallowed his national pride and publicly settled a bet with assistant coach Scott Morrison on Saturday.
Hardy, an American, wore a bright red Team Canada jacket to his pre-game media conference hours before Utah played in Toronto against the Raptors. The two coaches had a friendly bet on the bronze-medal game at the FIBA World Cup in the fall with the payoff due at Scotiabank Arena.
The Jazz head coach had travelled to Southeast Asia to watch the first round of the international men's basketball tournament in the summer before returning to Utah for the elimination round.
"Scott and I didn't watch it together, but we were nearby, watching the scores very closely trying to figure out who was going to have to wear what to this game (in Toronto)," said Hardy.
Canada beat the United States 127-118 on Sept. 10 to claim third at the World Cup. It was the first-ever World Cup medal for Canada, which also earned a berth at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
"Canada had a great team this summer," said Hardy, who mentioned Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, B.C., as an example. "I have a ton of respect for all their players. Their national team is in really good hands.
"Obviously, they had a great summer and headed toward the Olympics. It's a pretty exciting time for Canada Basketball."
Hardy is still kicking himself that Morrison, from Morell, P.E.I., didn't have to pay up.
"I had an Uncle Sam Halloween costume picked out for him to wear tonight," said Hardy. "It was a sad day taking that out of my Amazon cart. Maybe next year."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2023.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
