Did Canada revoke Jamal Murray's Canadian passport? Debunking viral tweet after team's exit from Paris Olympics

Jamal Murray had a rough 2024 Paris Olympics that concluded with an upset loss to host team France in the quarterfinals, costing Canada—once seen as a major threat to Team USA—a chance at a medal. A social media post claiming that Canada had revoked the passport of the Denver Nuggets guard quickly went viral.

Jamal Murray, who was coming off the bench for Canada due to not being fully fit, averaged just 6 points per game, shooting 41.2% from 2-point range and a poor 14.3% from three-point range.

The viral post originated from NBA Centel, known for its parody content that can sometimes be mistaken for real news. Although some found it entertaining, it is false and needs to be debunked.

The source of the post was a parody page mimicking Adrian Wojnarowski, using the handle @wojdespn instead of Wojnarowski’s actual handle, @wojespn.

Canada may revoke a passport if it’s used for serious crimes such as trafficking, terrorism or war crimes, or if obtained through false information.

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship can revoke passports for these reasons, while the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness can do so to prevent terrorism or protect national security.

The post surfaced after Jamal Murray's disappointing performance against France on Tuesday, where he scored seven points, grabbed five rebounds, made one assist, and committed three turnovers on 3-for-13 shooting from the field.

In the loss, OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Canada with 27 points on 9-for-19 shooting, plus five rebounds and four assists. RJ Barrett added 16 points.

France secured the victory without heavily relying on Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. Wembanyama scored just seven points on 2-for-10 shooting, but contributed 12 rebounds and five assists. Gobert played only three minutes off the bench, with one rebound.

It was Guerchon Yabusele and Isaïa Cordinier who led France, scoring 22 and 20 points, respectively, with Evan Fournier adding 15 points off the bench.

What is Jamal Murray dealing with?

Canada coach Jordi Fernandez has consistently mentioned that Jamal Murray would be on a minutes restriction due to his injury.

Murray struggled to perform at his usual level, facing physical challenges that affected his quickness and shooting accuracy.

Before the Olympics, Fernandez expressed hope that Murray would improve as he managed his injury.

"Right now, he's had a limitation where he almost got to 19 minutes. The only thing that I can see is him getting better and better, and he will be the best version of himself at the right time," Fernandez said.

Unfortunately, Murray’s performance did not improve, and Canada’s prospects suffered as a result.

Murray has been dealing with injuries since the NBA season, including elbow and calf issues, with the Nuggets’ season ending at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.