Top 10 CEBL Players of All-Time
As We Look Forward to the 2025 Season, Who Has Earned the Title of Greatest CEBL Player of All-Time?
Today marks the opening of Free Agency ahead of the 2025 CEBL season, making it the unofficial start of the new campaign. While fans enthusiastically await their teams first big signing, I thought it would be fun to look back at players past and present, and create a ranking of players who have had the best careers in the league thus far.
Now, as is an important distinction when talking about a summer league like the CEBL, it’s worth noting that I’m only ranking players based on their CEBL careers. So while there’s been players who have had greater careers outside of the league and can therefore be considered “the best”, that’s not what we’re looking at here; much like how Hakeem Olajuwon is probably the best player to ever wear a Toronto Raptors uniform, but I wouldn’t include him on a “best Raptors” list. Kapeesh?
With all that cleared up, let’s get things started, beginning with the players who just missed the cut.
Honourable Mentions:
Jalen Harris – Probably the closest to making the list, Harris’ raw stats definitely have him in contention. But he was inefficient and inconsistent during his time in Scarborough, and while he was on pace for an all-time season in Saskatchewan, his early departure hurt his case in my rankings.
Lindell Wigginton & Tony Carr – Two guys who put up some of the best seasons we’ve seen in the CEBL. However, both being one-and-done thus far keeps them off the list.
Kadre Gray – Longevity and being a homemade product help his case, but for every great season he has posted in the CEBL, he’s also had a so-so campaign. That inconsistency hurt him here.
Isiaha Mike – If you’ve somehow been following my work from the beginning, you know that I’ve been an Isiaha Mike fan since before he stepped foot on a CEBL court. A champion and Finals MVP, he plays near perfect basketball on both sides of the court in my eyes. All that said, if he played the full season in 2023 or returned for 2024, he’d be on my list. Alas, his resume falls just short.
#10. Jordan Baker
CEBL Stats:
60 GP
13.1 PPG/9.3 REB/4.3 AST/1.5 STL
50.8% FG/31.0% 3PT/69.0% FT
CEBL Accomplishments: 2x CEBL Champion, 2x 1st Team All-CEBL, 2x 2nd Team All-CEBL, 2x All-Canadian CEBL Team
While he was never a premiere scorer or even necessarily viewed as his team’s “go-to guy”, Baker carved out quite the legacy for himself in the CEBL. He was a key part of the Edmonton Stingers dynasty in the league’s formative years, providing quality play on both sides of the court, on top of being the first true ‘point forward’ to suit up for the league. A Canadian kid from a U Sports program who found himself a niche playing against some tough international competition before calling it a career early, who knows how much higher he’d be on the list if he had kept playing – he still had plenty left in the tank.
#9. Ahmed Hill
CEBL Stats:
76 GP
17.9 PPG/4.1 REB/2.2 AST
42.3% FG/38.0% 3PT/82.3% FT
CEBL Accomplishments: All-time CEBL Scoring Leader, 2x 2nd Team All-CEBL
The CEBL’s all-time leading scorer, Hill was one of the first American imports to really make a long-term commitment to the league. Over the course of 4 seasons, Hill has proven to be one of the more consistent scorers in the league (obviously). Despite all his personal success, his teams have historically struggled – he only has one winning season under his belt – and he’s never really been in MVP conversation. Still, there’s no denying that Hill has earned his spot amongst the CEBL’s all-time greats.
#8. Tazé Moore
CEBL Stats:
19 GP
17.1 PPG/8.3 REB/6.8 AST/2.5 STOCKs
47.0% FG/30.8% 3PT/74.0% FT
CEBL Accomplishments: CEBL MVP, 1st Team All-CEBL
The only one-and-done player on my list, anyone who watched Moore play last season knows why. Moore put on some of the most electrifying plays we have yet to see in the CEBL, performing jaw-dropping dunks and physics-defying blocks on the regular. He was the centrepiece of perhaps the greatest roster ever assembled and his absence was noticed when he was attending NBA camps. He brought as much excitement and attention to the league as anyone before him, solidifying his place on the list.
#7. Christian Vital
CEBL Stats:
33 GP
18.7 PPG/5.1 REB/3.7 AST/2.2 STL
43.5%FG/36.3%3PT/84.4%FT
CEBL Accomplishments: CEBL Champion, CEBL Finals MVP, 2x 2nd Team All-CEBL
A criminally under-rated two-way player, Christian Vital quietly put together a tremendous CEBL and rightfully receives his flowers on my list. The UConn Huskie alum came to the CEBL fresh off a G League championship and kept that momentum rolling through the summer, serving as the primary scorer on a loaded Honey Badgers squad that would also claim their league title, with Vital earning Finals MVP honours. He followed that up by returning the next summer and putting a lesser supporting cast on his back and carrying them to the playoffs. Throughout his entire tenure, Vital proved to be one of the toughest assignments on both side of the ball, and one of the best players in league history.
#6. Nick Ward
CEBL Stats:
56 GP
17.4 PPG/7.6 REB/1.0 AST/1.5 STOCKs
60.9% FG/36.4% 3PT/60.0% FT
CEBL Accomplishments: 2x 1st Team All-CEBL
When asking yourself who the best big man in the history of the CEBL is, only one name should come to mind: Nick Ward. The Michigan State alum made an immediate impact in the league when he first signed with the Ottawa BlackJacks, carrying a lackluster team into the playoffs and giving them a chance to win every night. Since returning to the CEBL with the Vancouver Bandits, Ward has further established himself as the premiere paint-scorer in the league’s short history. Players of his size and skill are rarely available given that they are such hot commodities, but Ward’s commitment to the CEBL has enshrined his place on the all-time list.
#5. Teddy Allen
CEBL Stats:
44 GP
24.2 PPG/6.3 REB/3.7 AST/1.6 STL
41.7% FG/34.3% 3PT/82.9% FT
CEBL Accomplishments: CEBL MVP, 1st Team All-CEBL, 2nd Team All-CEBL
As divisive of a player as we will most likely ever see in the CEBL, there’s still no arguing that Teddy Allen has been an offensive superstar. After a solid showing to start his career with the Scarborough Shooting Stars, Allen was given the keys to a new franchise in Winnipeg and never looked back. He’s led the league in total scoring in back-to-back seasons and has shown the ability to get buckets from anywhere on the floor. All that being said, there’s also no denying that he shot some pretty miserable percentages during his time in Saskatchewan, and while some of that can be attributed to playing on a poor team, it holds him back from placing higher on the list.
#4. Justin Wright-Foreman
CEBL Stats:
33 GP
27.7 PPG/4.5 REB/5.1 AST/1.4 STL
46.7%FG/44.0%3PT/82.5%FT
CEBL Accomplishments: 2x CEBL MVP Runner-Up, 2x 1st Team All-CEBL
Perhaps the most talented player we’ve seen thus far in the CEBL, Justin Wright-Foreman has dominated the competition nearly every time he’s stepped on the court. A legend at Hofstra University, JWF was a late signing for the Saskatchewan Rattlers in 2023 – joining the team just days before the season started – but immediately made an impact, carrying perhaps the weakest roster in the league to an 8-12 record but falling just short of making the playoffs. He would sign even later for his second season, joining the Winnipeg Sea bears to replace the very man who beat him in MVP voting the season prior. Once again, JWF was dominant, but the team around him struggled and underwhelmed, getting eliminated in their first playoff game. While his individual numbers are massive, he’s yet to prove that his playstyle can translate into team success, which keeps him below the players above him.
#3. Cat Barber
CEBL Stats:
70 GP
19.4 PPG/4.2 REB/4.6 AST/1.3 STL
44.1%FG/34.3%3PT/71.6%
CEBL Accomplishments: CEBL Champion, 2x 1st Team All-CEBL, 2x 2nd Team All-CEBL
Few if any have the resume outside of the CEBL of Cat Barber and continue to come back every summer, but that just goes to show his dedication to the league and teams’ desire to sign him. A superstar at North Carolina State, Barber was already a certified bucket-getter in the G League before signing with the Guelph Nighthawks in 2021. To the surprise of no one, he has continued to score at near unmatched regularity in the CEBL, returning every summer since then to impose his will on opposing defenses, sitting second all-time in CEBL scoring behind his close friend and former teammate, Ahmed Hill. Barber has been the top scorer on every CEBL team he’s been on, and was first in team assists every season except for last. His dominant play was a large part of the Shooting Stars championship in 2023, and his consistency each and every summer puts him in elite company.
#2. Khalil Ahmad
CEBL Stats:
54 GP
20.1 PPG/3.7 REB/5.2 AST/2.0 STL
45.6% FG/35.3% 3PT/80.9% FT
CEBL Accomplishments: CEBL Champion, CEBL Finals MVP, CEBL MVP, CEBL DPOY, 2x Clutch POTY, 3x 1st Team All-CEBL
One of the CEBL’s best feel-good stories has become one of the league’s best players in its history. Despite having a strong NCAA career at Cal State Fullerton, Ahmad struggled to find opportunities overseas upon graduating. He played in low-level leagues in Iceland and Denmark before being scouted by Niagara River Lions head coach and general manager Victor Raso, and his signing immediately changed the fortunes of both him and the team. Ahmad was named the CEBL Player of the Year in his first season and even earned a spot at the Utah Jazz training camp. He followed that up by being named the Defensive Player of the Year the following season and finally led the team to their first CEBL championship this past season, earning Finals MVP along the way. His resume would have him sitting firmly atop the CEBL’s all-time list, if not for…
#1. Xavier Moon
CEBL Stats:
36 GP
20.9 PPG/4.4 RPG/5.3 AST/2.0 STL
52.9% FG/48.6% 3PT/88.1% FT
CEBL Accomplishments: 2x CEBL Champion, 2x CEBL Finals MVP, 3x CEBL MVP, 3x 1st Team All-CEBL
Look, I know it’s anti-climatic. And when I started this exercise, my thoughts were that Ahmad had surpassed him. But there’s just no denying what Moon did during his time in the CEBL.
While there’s an argument to be made that Moon has played a pretty limited number of games and that his quality of opposition in the first three seasons of the CEBL was significantly less than the level of play we’ve seen in the last three, you ultimately have to respect what he’s done. Moon’s shooting efficiency has been, ahem – otherworldly – and perhaps more impressively was the way he managed to score. Most of the players who have managed to put up similar offensive to Moon in the CEBL have relied on a heliocentric system built around them, Moon has always been more selective about when he turns it on and is comfortable being a decoy for the oppositions defense, while being a dogged defender in his own right.
His numbers, combined with the run of success he led the Stingers on, cement Moon’s place as the CEBL G.O.A.T.