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Jamal Murray will not take part in the upcoming FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup, Canada Basketball announced on Wednesday.
The Kitchener, Ont., guard is less than two months removed from the end of his NBA season after the Nuggets won their first title in franchise history in June.
“When I came into training camp, I wanted to see how my body would respond after a long and demanding season and if I would be physically able to compete at the highest level required for the World Cup,” said Murray.
“In consultation with medical staff and the team, it is clear that additional recovery is required, and I have made the difficult decision to not participate in the tournament. It’s still a dream of mine to represent Canada at the Olympics, and I will support the team every step of the way as they pursue this goal.”
Team Canada general manager Rowan Barrett said the medical staff has been monitoring Murray’s status on an on-going basis.
“After numerous discussions over the last several weeks with Jamal and team medical staff, it became clear that additional recovery and rehab would prevent Jamal from joining our team for the upcoming FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup,” said Rowan Barrett.
Canada travels to Spain for a two-game exhibition series on Thursday and Friday. The Canadians will face hosts and defending FIBA Men’s World Cup champions Spain on Thursday before taking on the Dominican Republic the following day.
The World Cup takes place from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10 in Jakarta, Indonesia with a chance to qualify for the 2024 Olympics on the line. Canada needs a top-two finish among the Americas teams to qualify.
Canada is in Group H and will face France (Aug. 25 at 9:30 a.m. ET), Lebanon (Aug. 27 at 5:45 a.m. ET) and Latvia (Aug. 29 at 9:30 a.m. ET).
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