Chris Boucher

Chris Boucher had an amazing journey to becoming an NBA standout. Boucher grew up poor in Montreal and even dropped out of high school when he was 16 years old to work as a cook and dishwasher. He had only played pickup basketball before getting a spot on a tournament basketball team and subsequently an AAU squad. Boucher got his high school degree and then worked his way through college basketball, starting at New Mexico Junior College before earning NJCAA Player of the Year honors at Northwest College. He went on to play two seasons at Oregon, making it to the Elite Eight in his first year and being named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team during his second year.

Despite the strong play, Boucher went undrafted in the NBA and he was picked up by the Golden State Warriors. He did not break out in the pros until his time with the Toronto Raptors organization. Boucher was named the 2018-19 G-League Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year. That year, he played 28 games with the Raptors, who ended up winning the NBA championship. Boucher became a mainstay with Toronto the following season and grew into his role as a reliable contributor off the bench.