The two years Cory Joseph spent in his home city of Toronto playing for the Raptors, 2015 to 2017, have been the two highest-scoring seasons of his 12-year career. Joseph, now entering his 13th season and first for the Warriors, put up what was a career-high 8.5 points per game in his first season as a Raptor, and then 9.3 the next year.
Neither of those averages have been eclipsed for an entire season since then. For his newest team and sixth total in his career, Joseph can find immediate comfort in the Bay Area, having to look no further than the Warriors’ starting small forward.
A lot has changed for Joseph this month. July began with him agreeing to a one-year veteran’s minimum contract to join the Warriors, and just this past weekend the 31-year-old point guard and his wife, Damaris, were married. Andrew Wiggins’ brother, Nick, was in attendance, and both Wiggins brothers have a long history with Joseph.
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Nick was part of the Raptors’ organization in Joseph’s first season and played 10 games for Toronto’s G League affiliate.
“Wiggs would always be at the practices [in Toronto],” Joseph said Tuesday in an introductory Zoom with Bay Area media. “My dad knows his dad, so from a very young age, like rec ball in Toronto, we’ve known each other and I’ve always watched him.”
Andrew also has played with Cory at a high level, even representing their home country together last summer on Team Canada. Wiggins’ 21.7 points in three games led the team.
The Warriors’ star has scored the most career points in the NBA for a player born in Canada by a long shot. Wiggins’ 12,152 career points are 3,186 more than Rick Fox’s 8,966. Fox last played an NBA game on June 15, 2004 in Game 5 of the Finals.
Golden State Warriors
Joseph currently is seventh on the all-time list at 5,588 points, only 6,564 behind Wiggins. To be fair, Steve Nash’s 17,387 career points would top everybody but he was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nash moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, before he was even 2 years old and he grew up in British Columbia.
“We’ve always been super close,” Joseph said. “I’m excited to play with him, because obviously not only are we super close, he’s an amazing player and he brings a lot to the team. So I’m super excited to just be out there with him.”
Of course Joseph didn’t waste any time and called Andrew right when he signed on to be a Warrior. He called Wiggins the other day as well for some advice.
Joseph’s NBA career began as a 20-year-old in San Antonio where he spent his first four seasons, before two in Toronto, two in Indiana, one-plus in Sacramento and two-plus in Detroit. Once again, and for the first time as a married man, it’s time for Joseph to go house hunting again.
“I was kind of trying to get the lay of the land in terms of the housing situation,” Joseph said. “I'm gonna try to get out there and try to look at some spots where I could be close to the arena or whatnot, try to figure that out.”
The housing market isn’t always the kindest out here, but Joseph already is feeling at home as he gets to extend his Canadian legacy on the Warriors alongside one of the country’s greats.