Kawhi Leonard will not play for Team USA in the Paris Olympics, with Derrick White of the Boston Celtics replacing him on the roster.
According to a statement released by USA Basketball on Wednesday, Leonard’s decision was made in collaboration with the Clippers and Team USA officials after a three-day training camp in Las Vegas.
This would have been Leonard’s first Olympic appearance, but he has been struggling with right knee inflammation, which caused him to miss 12 of the Clippers’ last 14 games in the previous season.
Clippers coach Ty Lue is on Team USA’s staff for the Paris Olympics, and team reps, including president Lawrence Frank, have been attending practices at UNLV.
“Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the last several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas. He felt ready to compete,” USA Basketball said.
“However, he respects that USA Basketball and the Clippers determined it’s in his best interest to spend the remainder of the summer preparing for the upcoming season rather than participating in the Olympic Games in Paris.”
Derrick White, who recently inked a four-year, $126 million extension, has prior Team USA experience from the 2019 World Cup. He had a notable season with the Celtics, averaging 15.2 points and 5.2 assists, and contributed to their NBA championship win.
“I am happy to announce that Derrick will compete at his first Olympic Games on the heels of a championship season in Boston,” USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill said.”
We look forward to him joining the team in the coming days as we continue preparations for Paris.
“I want to thank Kawhi for his commitment to the USA Men’s National Team. He earned the opportunity to represent the United States, but USA Basketball and Clippers leadership felt it’s important to allow Kawhi to prepare for the NBA season.”
Leonard had been rehabilitating his knee for the past two months, unsure if he’d be able to play until he experienced significant improvement just two weeks ago.
“I took the time, and I was able to turn around over the last two weeks,” Leonard said Sunday. “So I’m out here now and, yeah, I’m having a good time.”
Kawhi Leonard had planned to play in Team USA’s exhibition game against Team Canada on Wednesday night, but his knee is still in a “neutral” state.
White will join Team USA in Abu Dhabi this weekend, ahead of their international friendly matches and practices before the Olympics.
While NBA teams can’t force players to opt out of national team duties, mutual decisions are common.
Andrew Wiggins, for instance, will miss the Olympics due to a mutual decision with the Golden State Warriors.
Team USA is also dealing with injury to Kevin Durant (calf strain), who hasn’t been able to take part in contact practice and will not play Wednesday night.
Despite his injuries, Leonard has been a dominant force in the league, with two NBA championships and six All-NBA selections under his belt. He recently signed a three-year, $150 million extension with the Clippers.
