History of basketball in Canadian cities

Andrew Wiggins, NBA #1 prospect for 2014

I don't know much about immigration-law history and less about basketball.  But right now I am ESPN's guy on why history explain how lots of black Canadian high-school kids are moving into American college ball and the NBA.

In 1976, Canada eliminated a ban on non-European immigrants. Its new policies catered to three groups: the educated, families seeking reunification and refugees. Since that time, the country has become one of the most diverse nations in the world. From 1996 through 2006, Canada granted 2 million-plus immigrants and refugees -- most from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean -- permanent resident status, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Many settled into Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto -- home to more than one-third of the country's population -- and moved to urban communities as they sought fresh starts. Their children chose hoops over hockey sticks.
Basketball was identified as the fastest-growing sport in Canada in a 2006 study conducted by Solutions Research Group. The same study listed basketball as the No. 1 sport among "fast-growing visible minority groups."
"In the same way that basketball became an outlet for inner city kids in American cities, it sort of worked out that way for minority kids from fairly recent immigrant communities in Canadian cities," said Christopher Moore, a Canadian historian.

Long detailed thoughtful story by Myron Medcalf of ESPN. It has a lot more info about Canadian basketball than he got from me.
(Image: from ESPN.com)