Long before Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher became a two-time NBA champion, he was just a kid in Montreal trying to find his place in the world.
Boucher, who was born in St. Lucia before moving to Canada, struggled with homelessness and initially dropped out of high school before eventually joining a local prep program after his talent was identified while playing pickup games.
This week, while in Montreal to receive a Montreal Community Cares Award for his work with local communities, Boucher explained why it was so important to him to give back to his adopted city.
“I see that a lot of children are like me,” Boucher said. told TSN 690 earlier this week“I empathize with them a little bit, because I understand the efforts of the parents, the efforts of the kids who have to succeed with what they have. And obviously, I believe in the talent of Montreal. I believe in its culture. I believe in everything that Montreal does, and I think they just need resources. They need role models. They need opportunities. I think that’s something that I’m able to offer now, and that’s why I make so much effort for these kids in Montreal now, because I see myself in them every time I go there.”
Boucher played at New Mexico Junior Colleges and Northwest Junior Colleges before eventually playing at the University of Oregon. He went undrafted in 2017, signed with the Golden State Warriors on a two-way contract and was part of their 2018 championship before landing with the Raptors the following offseason.
“I remember when I was a kid, if you told your parents you were going to make it to the NBA in two or three years, and you were 16, it was a little hard for them to believe it, and they probably would have wanted you to get a job and stuff and believe in something bigger. [realistic]…I think people are starting to believe a lot more in opportunities and in people working extremely hard to give them a chance,” Boucher added.
With 26 Canadian-born players on the NBA’s opening night roster last year, Boucher said there are more opportunities than ever for players from Montreal or elsewhere to turn professional.
“The door is wide open. There’s talent everywhere. They need opportunities and support. And I think we have a lot more players who are capable of doing that now and supporting them. [My advice?] “You have to work hard. I mean, do the right things. And obviously, I think things will work themselves out,” Boucher added.
As for this year’s Raptors team, Boucher has high hopes after the team finished 12th in the Eastern Conference last season.
“We’ve been through a lot of situations, so it really shows these kids how to get better. And obviously, I think the Raptors [front office] “They’re doing a great job of bringing us the parts we need, so we’re definitely going to be a surprise,” he added.
It should be noted that Boucher is 31 years old and perhaps a little closer to the “veteran” label than the child role.
Boucher cited Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley as three of the team’s leaders and said the team has worked out together in both formal and informal practices this offseason. And while the team still has a long way to go to become a championship contender, Boucher said the practices remind him a bit of the team’s 2019 title, when he was the last player left on the franchise roster.
“We work a lot this summer. We spend a lot of time together, not even with the Raptors, to prepare for the game,” Boucher added. “I think we do it off the court as well, and it’s an incredible thing. I think that’s how it happened when we won the first championship with Fred [VanVleet] and all that. When Kawhi [Leonard] “We came in, we put in a lot of work over the summer and we got to where we needed to be. So we’re doing the same thing right now. And like I said, we’re pretty young, so it’s always amazing to see what we can achieve.”
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