Designated Player Rule, CEBL’s Latest Innovation to Attract World Class Talent

By Myles Dichter

Since it launched in May of 2018 the Canadian Elite Basketball League has been a case study of how to forge a sustainable professional sports league in Canada. Thoughtful planning, a willingness to take strategic risks, an acceptance to never be satisfied that yesterday’s success guarantees tomorrows, and a “no fear of failure” and “find a way” mentality to innovatively tackle challenges has enabled the CEBL to maintain a consistent upward growth trajectory as it begins its seventh season as the largest, and arguably healthiest, pro sports league in Canada.

Keeping the interests of the players and the fans at the centre of every major decision has been integral to the mission of delivering a unique and valued sports and entertainment experience. That has led to more than 20 players signing NBA contracts after playing in the CEBL, the league’s team salary cap rising by 68 percent since the inaugural season of 2019, the league expanding from an original six teams to 10, and beginning this season a 24 rather than 20-game regular season schedule for the teams.

Also new this season is a designated player roster spot available to each team. Its purpose is to help teams attract even more and better talent to a league that already is considered among the better of the approximately 200 leagues around the world that play FIBA basketball. A designated player won’t count against his team’s salary cap, a new provision that attracts elite talent and also frees up cap money to be available to other players on the roster.

“The introduction of a designated player sits outside the salary cap and has a far bigger per-game financial threshold in an effort to attract as much talent as we can to this country,” said CEBL Commissioner and Co-Founder Mike Morreale. “A designated player could be Canadian, American, or an international player, which also adds roster flexibility for our team general managers.”

Strategically, teams may use the designated player to fill different roles. The obvious route is to get the best player available and worry about the rest later. But some teams may choose to pony up for the best Canadian in free agency—especially given that two Canadians must always be on the floor, a rule that has been in place for the league’s entire existence.

“We've been very blessed with the fact that the players that we attract don't come here solely for the money. I think they're very comfortable with the pay they receive,” Morreale said. “What they really want to do is come here, play in a highly respected league, get noticed, get taken care of.”

The CEBL has had a longstanding partnership with U SPORTS and as of 2024 also with the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association. Each team can roster a maximum of three Canadian student-athletes who have remaining scholastic eligibility—defined as developmental players within the CEBL roster rules. Developmental players do not count against the team salary cap, and their salaries are deposited directly into a bursary at their institution to be applied to academic costs. 

Simon Hildebrandt, the two-time reigning CEBL Developmental Player of the Year as a member of the Winnipeg Sea Bears, played this current college season with High Point, of the Big South Conference in NCAA Division I. He played the two prior seasons at the University of Manitoba. 

“These last two years are the stepping stone that will lead to my professional career. It’s unbelievable how much this is gonna help me,” Hildebrandt said during 2024 championship weekend when he received his latest award.

Even in its infancy, the CEBL has been the springboard it was always intended to be for players like Hildebrandt, as well as for current NBA players such as AJ Lawson and Jackson Rowe, who have each seen court time with the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, respectively, this season. Rowe, 27, spent three CEBL seasons with the Ottawa BlackJacks and Scarborough Shooting Stars. In January he signed a two-way contract with the Warriors and has appeared in five games as of mid-March. Lawson scored his NBA career high of 32 points in the Raptors’ March 10 victory over Washington. The Brampton native has often credited his time in the CEBL during the 2022 season as being the stepping-stone for his ascension into the NBA with Dallas, Minnesota, and now Toronto.

“If you take a look at why we built the league originally, it was built to bring back our top Canadians home to play, to develop our new Canadians, and to complement them with the best basketball players we can attract from outside of Canada,” Morreale said, citing the many pathways the CEBL has created to the NBA G League, to European and Asian leagues, and to national teams, including the Canadian National team. “We’ve been very fortunate to have players, certainly pre-dominately from the U.S., but from all over the world that have been able to come onto courts across the country.”

Yet it’s the homegrown players that make the CEBL tick, Morreale added.

“All of these guys at one point or another know each other, played against each other, grew up with each other. So that compete level is on 11 when we get on the court. And that just feeds all of our other players.”

Fans and players can expect the CEBL to continue to innovate and implement new ways to bring world class pro basketball to markets across Canada in the years to come. The 2025 season tips off May 11 when Calgary visits Edmonton, followed by a full slate of games the following week. All 127 league games will be livestreamed for free on CEBL+ and also available on TSN+, with 17 games being broadcast nationally on TSN.

- With files from Myles Dichter