FIBA World Cup's star power continues to take a hit as Jamal Murray sits out for Canada
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey – With only a week left before tip-off, the 2023 FIBA World Cup continues to lose its luster as another NBA player backed out.
Canada Basketball announced on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time) that Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray would skip the tournament.
The news came on the heels of Latvian star Kristaps Porzingis of the Boston Celtics also announcing his withdrawal from the tournament last Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) due to a foot injury.
Murray and Porzingis were both slated to play in Jakarta, Indonesia. They join a long list of NBA players — Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Serbia’s Nikola Jokic, and Team USA’s Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler and more — who decided to skip the world championship, which will be hosted by three countries — the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan — for the first time.
The 26-year-old Murray cited rest, similar to the reasoning of Jokic, his Nuggets teammate who was named the Finals MVP in their historic championship run. But unlike Jokic, who declined from the start, Murray tried to make it work with Canada.
“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,” Murray said.
“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,” he added.
Murray, who became the first player in NBA history to have at least 10 assists in each of his first four career Finals games, will be a massive loss for Canada in what could be their best shot at returning to the Olympics since their last appearance in 2000.
Canada needs to finish in the top two among the seven teams from the Americas to punch a ticket to the Paris Olympics next year.
Despite Murray’s withdrawal, Canada is still stacked with NBA players led by All-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks starter RJ Barrett.
"With just over a week until we tip-off at the World Cup, based on a shared commitment to continue building and improving every day, we will be working through our remaining practice and exhibition game schedule to prepare us for the tournament-opening game against France,” Canada Basketball General Manager Rowan Barrett said.
Canada and France are the favorites in Group H, which also has Latvia and the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup runner-up Lebanon.
--
Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.
- Latest
- Trending
