Memphis Grizzlies newest addition Zach Edey announced on Sunday that he has decided to withdraw his name from consideration for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with Team Canada. He made this decision to prioritize his NBA career.
Edey, the 7-foot-4 center from Purdue, released a statement via Basketball Canada as per Devin Heroux on Sunday, announcing his decision to withdraw from participating in their training camp.
Zach Edey's announcement
“I have made the difficult decision of pulling myself out of the process to compete for a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with Canada. Since last summer, I have been training and competing nonstop to achieve my goals of winning a national championship at Purdue and making it to the NBA.”
Zach Edey lost with Purdue basketball in the NCAA national title game to UConn basketball in early April before moving on to prepare for the NBA draft process.
“I have a duty now to properly prepare for all that is coming my way with being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies. The work I put in this summer on my body and my game is critical for me to be the best version of myself. Thank you to Canada Basketball and all the fans for your support and understanding. Representing Canada in the Olympics remains a lifelong dream of mine, but for now, I look forward to being the team's biggest fan from this side of the Atlantic.”
The training camp kicked off on Friday in Toronto, the same day Edey was introduced at a press conference in Memphis. Edey was named on Canada Basketball's attendee list on June 19, but during the press conference, he expressed uncertainty about his involvement, saying, “We're going to have a dinner tonight and talk about it, so I'm not sure yet.”
This development follows the Golden State Warriors' decision to withdraw Andrew Wiggins from Canada's training camp. Despite these changes, the roster remains formidable, boasting 11 current NBA players: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, RJ Barrett, Oshae Brissett, Dillon Brooks, Luguentz Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Trey Lyles, Jamal Murray, Andrew Nembhard, Kelly Olynyk, and Dwight Powell.
Basketball Canada's response
Rowan Barrett, the general manager of Canada Basketball’s senior men’s program, confirmed that they were informed recently about Edey’s decision to withdraw from consideration for the team but he expressed optimism about Edey joining a future training camp.
“Canada Basketball was recently notified by Zach of his intention to remove himself from consideration to represent Canada at this summer's Olympic Games. While we were optimistic about having Zach join us in training camp, we understand and support him in this difficult decision. On behalf of Canada Basketball, I would like to congratulate him on being drafted into the NBA. We look forward to welcoming him to a future training camp and wish him the best of luck preparing for next season,” said Barrett.
Zach Edey achieved back-to-back Naismith Player of the Year awards at Purdue.
He also represented Canada at the FIBA World Cup last summer, but saw limited playing time for Canada at last year's FIBA World Cup, but he made significant strides during his senior season at Purdue. If he had not withdrawn, he could have been a significant contributor in Paris.
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