Burlington has a long and notable sports history that includes many outstanding athletes, coaches, officials, media, and volunteers. The Burlington Sports Hall of Fame (BSHOF) is dedicated to identifying and honouring these individuals who have excelled and made a difference in their sport.
This year, the BSHOF is celebrating its 15th year and is proud to be inducting four new honorees at the 2023 induction ceremony on Tuesday, May 30 at the Burlington Golf and Country Club.
Our first 2023 inductee is Brady Heslip.
Brady Heslip, a graduate of Nelson High School and Baylor University, went on to a professional basketball career that included consideration from NBA teams, success in the European basketball league, and ten years with Canada’s national basketball team. Brady may be one of the most accomplished basketball players to ever come out of Burlington.
Thought by many to be one of the best shooters in the world outside the NBA, Brady’s talent came by the way of good genetics and a strong work ethic, which led him to fulfill his basketball dreams. Brady’s dad, Tom, was a high school standout at T. A. Blakelock High School before putting together an All-Canadian career at the University of Guelph. Brady’s mom Jody is the sister of Canadian basketball legend and NBA coach Jay Triano.
Brady’s path to the Canadian national basketball team and a professional career is inspiring for any up-and-coming young player. He had a brilliant high school career at Nelson, and was named a three-time Halton All-Star. Brady averaged 28 points per game in his senior year.
After finishing high school, Brady originally committed to the University of Guelph.
“It was a romantic ideal that I always wanted to follow in Dad’s footsteps and wear #4 for the Gryphons, but it was also a reality that no one in the NCAA was interested in me,” Brady said in a recent interview.
In the summer of 2009, Brady went on an AAU circuit and it proved to be fruitful, as many NCAA teams started to notice the range and accuracy of Brady’s phenomenal shooting. He eventually signed with Boston College and spent one season with the Eagles as a redshirt before transferring to Baylor University.
Brady gained success at Baylor, but he wasn’t just a star on the court: scholastically he earned Academic Big 12 First Team, the dean’s list, and the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honour Roll.
Brady’s decision to go to Baylor and challenge the highly competitive Big 12 conference was a decision that would put Brady Heslip on the national and NBA radar. In 2012, he helped the Bears earn the right to go to the prestigious elite eight NCAA tournament and in 2013, the Bears won the NIT tournament. In 2014, Baylor had more success, making it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, with Brady being a key shooter who teams couldn’t leave unguarded.
Brady developed a reputation as being one of the premier shooters in the NCAA during his tenure at Baylor. In his three years at Baylor, Brady averaged 10.2 points per game, shooting a remarkable 42% from the three-point line. There was talk of Brady getting drafted in the NBA but he said, “I didn’t pass the eye test for what the NBA is looking for in their athletes.”
That didn’t stop NBA teams from taking a closer look.
Brady had tryouts and an NBA summer league stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls, and the hometown Toronto Raptors. Brady played for G-league teams including the Raptors 905 team, before taking his talents to Europe playing in Italy, France, Turkey, and Bosnia.
Basketball for Brady ran a parallel with his career on the Canadian men’s national team. A commitment to that program sent him around the world, helping Canada win a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and qualifying for the 2019 World Cup. The qualifying process was multi-staged, which didn’t allow for the current NBA players to participate. It was players like Brady Heslip who showed their dedication to the national team program by making it to every qualifying phase, no matter the location.
In 2019, Brady really showed a lot about who he is as a person.
“I was hoping to not make the national team for the Olympic qualifying tournament because that would mean that all the NBA guys like Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would be available and there would be no spot for me,” Brady explains. “All I want is for Canada to win on the world stage and if that means I’m not there, then that’s cool.”
Brady recently retired from professional basketball despite having European offers on the table. He felt he could have played an additional five years, noting that in basketball there is always room for a shooter of Brady’s capability. After completing his MBA at Queen’s University, his professional and national basketball career has given him a global perspective for his future in the business world.
In 2022, the combination of his basketball pedigree and his business acumen landed him a position as the first general manager of the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).
A highly accomplished athlete at the national and professional levels, the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame is honoured to induct Brady Heslip in the Athlete category.
The Burlington Sport Hall of Fame Induction reception will take place on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at the Burlington Golf and Country Club. Emcee for the evening will be Steve Foxcroft. Tickets are $60, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. There will be a cocktail social from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with the official induction ceremony starting at 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the evening and a cash bar will be available.
For tickets contact Wayne Heslop at wayne.heslop@cogeco.ca or at 905-520-8922.
