RJ Barrett will not play for Canada in the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup in China, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. Barrett will reportedly be sidelined due to "management of a mild calf strain sustained during Las Vegas Summer League."
Charania added that Barrett will join Canada for training camp and "team activities" in Toronto later this week.
New York Knicks No. 3 pick RJ Barrett will not play for Canada in the FIBA World Cup due to management of a mild calf strain sustained during Las Vegas summer league, sources told @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 1, 2019
Barrett was born in Toronto and began high school at St. Marcellinus Secondary School in Mississauga. He then attended Montverde Academy in Florida, eventually leading him to Duke, where he spent his one and only collegiate year.
The New York Knicks selected Barrett with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He appeared in all five of New York's games in the Las Vegas Summer League, posting averages of 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Barrett has represented Canada in the past, leading them to a gold medal in the 2017 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. He was named MVP of the tournament.
Canada's training camp will begin on Aug. 4 in Toronto at the OVO Athletic Centre. The team will then play two exhibition games against Nigeria — one in Toronto at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Aug. 7, the other in Winnipeg at Bell MTS Place on Aug. 9.
The FIBA World Cup begins on Aug. 31 and ends on Sept. 15. Canada is in Group H with Senegal, Lithuania and Australia.