Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets has revealed that he would skip the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup to focus on rehabilitation after Denver’s NBA championship season.
“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,” he explained on Wednesday.
“After consulting with medical staff and the team, it is clear that additional recovery is required, and I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the tournament.” It is still a dream of mine to represent Canada in the Olympics, and I will be there to support the team every step of the way.”
FIBA Updates: Canada-France Opener & Jamal Murray Quick Turnaround
Canada will play France in the World Cup opener on August 25, while the Nuggets’ postseason journey finished on June 12 with a Game 5 victory against the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals. Jamal Murray would have had a pretty rapid turnaround, and then he had about a month to prepare for the 2023-24 regular season.
Denver teammate Nikola Jokic has already opted to forego the World Cup to get proper rest before returning to the court.
Additionally, Jamal Murray gave it his all, attending Canada’s training camp to evaluate where he was physically and whether he could make the journey to Southeast Asia for the FIBA World Cup competition.
🇨🇦 @CanBball has begun prep for the 2023 @FIBAWC!
(📽️ @NBACanada) pic.twitter.com/JepENDi3kZ
— NBA (@NBA) August 1, 2023
Jordi Fernández, Canada’s coach, will now have to go forward without one of his greatest players as the Canadians seek their first World Cup medal.
RJ Barrett of the Knicks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder, and Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets all look to be significant participants in that pursuit. Zach Edey of Purdue, the reigning national player of the year, will help to anchor things on the inside.
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