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The U.S. men’s basketball team will likely win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With a roster that doesn’t just boast the most NBA talent compared to the rest of the field, but some of the best players in basketball history, they’re always going to be the odds on favorite to win at any international competition. But when Team USA suits up for its first game against Serbia on July 28, they’ll be doing it without Kawhi Leonard, who after previously being named one of the 12 members of the team that would head to France this summer, withdrew before the United States played its first exhibition game.
Team USA made a statement saying that after a few strong practices from the two-time NBA champion, USAB and the Clippers determined it was in Leonard’s best interest to withdraw from playing in the Olympics. USAB director Grant Hill said it was ultimately Team USA’s decision to remove Leonard from the roster and replace him with Derrick White, saying, “We just felt that we had to pivot.”
When the statement was released, it read like the Clippers might’ve made the decision to cut Leonard’s time with the national team short in order to prevent injury, and there was a report that Leonard’s camp expressed concern to USA Basketball two days prior to the announcement of his withdrawal.
But Clippers president Lawrence Frank said that there was no concern on their side, and expressed disappointment with Team USA’s decision.
“It was USAB’s call, and I was, quite frankly, very disappointed with the decision,” Frank said. “Kawhi wanted to play. We wanted him to play. I was there the first two practices. He looked very good. Participated, was a full participant in everything that they did. I wasn’t there for the third practice, where, ultimately, that was the point where they they decided to go in a different direction. I expressed to them, I really wish that they would have given Kawhi more time. We have the benefit of having been around Kawhi for five years to see his body and see where he’s at. So, he looked good to me. I know all the…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/clippers-president-disagrees-with-team-usa-pulling-kawhi-leonard-from-olympics-but-its-the-smart-decision/
Author : Jasmyn Wimbish
Publish date : 2024-07-15 22:17:34
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