According to league sources, Jamal Murray has confirmed his previous involvement with Team Canada and is a headlining of the 18-man squad the Canadians have nominated for their FIBA World Cup stint this summer.
Ultimately, teams can only take 12 players to the World Cup.
There have been some doubts about Murray’s availability for the World Cup due to his extended playoff round with world champions Denver Nuggets and his injury history, and although Canada is creating an expanded roster, it still leaves Murray room for an exit, league sources have said expressed to Team Canada his excitement at the chance of a big win at the World Championships.
Canada’s expanded list includes NBA’s Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dillon Brooks, RJ Barrett, Luguentz Dort, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kelly Olynyk, Oshae Brissett, Cory Joseph and Dwight Powell, and college basketball’s Zach Edey.
Notable NBA players not on the Team Canada roster include Andrew Wiggins, Bennedict Mathurin, Shaedon Sharpe and Andrew Nembhard.
Murray, 26, a native of Kitchener, Ontario, averaged 26.1 points and 7.1 assists in the playoffs for the Nuggets alongside Nikola Jokić, creating a one-two that ultimately proved too much for the rest of the NBA. He averaged 20.0 points in 65 regular-season games after missing a year and a half in spring 2021 with a torn knee ligament.
GO DEEPER
Jamal Murray’s arduous journey to an NBA title made the long-awaited moment even sweeter
Team Canada is in the midst of a cycle of requiring three-year commitments from its players to build continuity and ensure the country is represented by as many NBA players as possible.
It involves a page from the playbook used for years by former Team USA general manager Jerry Colangelo, which the Americans have since backed away from, and a plan pioneered by Canada’s general manager Rowan Barrett and then-coach Nick Nurse has since parted ways with Team Canada after being fired from the Toronto Raptors.
Although Murray didn’t play last season, he made the commitment and attended Canada’s training camps last summer.
Additionally, Murray is close to new Canada national team coach Jordi Fernández, who was an assistant to coach Michael Malone at Denver and has worked with Murray for years.
The easiest way to qualify is to perform well at the World Cup. Team Canada’s first game will take place on August 25 in Jakarta, Indonesia against world power France.
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(Photo: Rich Story / USA Today)