Michael Linklater plays last game of international basketball

Saskatchewan Rattlers guard Michael Linklater played his last game of international basketball this weekend.

Linklater recently announced he’ll be retiring at the end of the 2019 Canadian Elite Basketball League season.

However, he’s also been playing in FIBA 3×3 World Tour basketball since 2012. He capped off that part of his career with a game in his home town on Saturday.

The host Saskatoon team lost to Kranj, Slovakia by a margin of 16-14.

He said the main reason for ending his on-court career is personal.

“My kids are at an age right now where they’re heavily involved into extracurricular activities,” he said. “The World Tour is very demanding; we have to be training seven days a week, and then we’re travelling when we’re going to a tournament … Then I’m gone for a while, then I’m back, then I’m rushing them to all of their events.”

Although he’d had a hectic journey, Linklater said he loved it.

“I’ve had a great run, and I just hope that I’ve been able to inspire a generation to keep playing,” he said.

He thinks it was a special experience to close out his international career in the city he’s played in for years.

“Being able to finish off my 3×3 career here at home, and then later on, next month, being able to finish off my professional career with the Rattlers at home … It’s been a blessing.”

Linklater has been a staple of Saskatoon basketball since 2005, when he joined the U of S Huskies. He led the team to its only national championship in 2010.

He’ll lace up to hit the court for the last time ever on the third weekend of August, when the Rattlers host the CEBL championship.