Sea Bears Sign 2023 CEBL Scoring Champion Justin Wright-Foreman
WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Saturday the signing of 2023 CEBL scoring champion, guard Justin Wright-Foreman. The six-foot Brooklyn, N.Y. product led the league with 29.2 points per game representing the Saskatchewan Rattlers last season, setting the highest scoring average in league history and finishing second to Winnipeg’s Teddy Allen in MVP votes.
“I’m ready to get to work. Last year was my first year in the CEBL. I didn’t know what to expect and had the greatest experience of my life. Now being here in Winnipeg, my mind is even more on winning a championship and growing as a player and person,” said Wright-Foreman.
Allen and Wright-Foreman finished the 2023 season as far and away the top two scorers in the CEBL. The next closest contender was Chaundee Brown Jr., who averaged a full six points fewer than the second-ranked Allen. The pair of new teammates are the most productive scorers the league has ever seen, being the only two to average over 25 points in a season.
“Adding Justin Wright-Foreman to our Sea Bears roster gives us another elite offensive talent and player with NBA experience. We saw what Justin could do last summer introducing himself to Winnipeg with a game winner. The idea of pairing last summer’s top two CEBL MVP candidates on the same team in the same Sea Bears colours is the exciting stuff dreams are made of,” said Mike Taylor, head coach and general manager of the Winnipeg Sea Bears.
Wright-Foreman is now the second former NBA draft pick to join the Sea Bears this season, after Byron Mullens. Wright-Foreman was selected 53rd overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. Since then, his pro career has spanned the NBA and NBA G League as well as international leagues in France, Turkey, Germany, China, Mexico and Italy.
In a four-year career at Hofstra University, Wright-Foreman emerged as one of the premier scorers in collegiate basketball. His 27.1 points per game as a senior ranked second across all of NCAA DI, earning him Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year honours and multiple pre-draft workouts with NBA teams.
Following the draft, Wright-Foreman signed a two-way deal with Jazz. He went on to appear in four games with Utah and 36 with the team’s G League affiliate Salt Lake City Stars in 2020. He remained a reliable scorer in the G League, posting double-figure point averages at his subsequent stops with the Erie BayHawks (12.8), Birmingham Squadron (12.3) and Westchester Knicks (14.6).
No stranger to FIBA play, Wright-Foremean made his first venture into the international arena with Chorale Roanne of France’s LNB Pro A in 2021. He showed little trepidation in one of the world’s best overseas leagues, scoring 16.9 points per game in a starting role through 12 contests.
In fall 2021, Wright-Foreman joined Petkim Spor of the Turkish Basketball SuperLeague. There, he averaged 16.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists through 14 games. That summer, he played a brief stint with Brose Bramburg of the German Basketball Bundesliga.
Wright-Foreman signed with the Rattlers in 2023 coming off of his most productive G League campaign, a 36-game stint with the Westchester Knicks. The electrifying scorer took the league by storm, re-setting Saskatchewan’s single-game scoring record on multiple occasions and ending the season atop the league’s per-game scoring leaderboard. He scored 30 or more points in nine of his 18 CEBL games, with his highest total coming in a 39-point outburst against Brampton on July 17.
The 26-year-old has also represented the United States on the 2022 FIBA World Cup and 2024 AmeriCup qualifying teams.
“Improving our roster has been a goal this off-season and we hit our mark with our current roster, but signing Justin takes us to another level. We look forward to welcoming Justin to Winnipeg and creating even more dynamic action that Sea Bears fans can be proud of,” said Taylor.
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About the Winnipeg Sea Bears
The Winnipeg Sea Bears joined the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) as an expansion franchise in 2023. The city's only professional basketball team plays out of Canada Life Centre from May to August in a 20-game regular season schedule. Winnipeg businessman and lawyer, David Asper, is the organization's owner and chairman.
More information on the Sea Bears can be found at seabears.ca and @wpgseabears on Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn & Facebook.
About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
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