Kawhi Leonard Out of USA Basketball for Olympics, Replaced by Derrick White

USA Basketball has announced that Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will not be representing the country during the Olympics. Instead, the 2-time NBA champion will be replaced by Derrick White, another stellar defender from the NBA champion Boston Celtics.

"Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the past several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas. He felt ready to compete," said USA Basketball in its official statement. "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."

As CBS Sports pointed out, the 2-time NBA Finals MVP missed the last eight games of the 2023-24 regular season because of a right knee injury and was sidelined again during the Clippers' first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks. His camp had expressed concern regarding his health to USA Basketball just two days before the announcement.

The announcement itself was made on Wednesday. However, the day before that, he told reporters, "Yeah, I think I'll suit up tomorrow," adding, "Everything's been good so far. [The knee has] been at a neutral state, and I hope it stays that way."

"He's been good, the best I've seen him move since he got injured," said Clippers coach Tyron Lue, who is also an assistant coach for Steve Kerr in Team USA. "Moving really good. It's good to see him healthy and trending in the right direction."

Leonard had been hampered by injuries as of late, and last Sunday, he told reporters that he had previously been concerned that he might have to miss the Olympics. However, he added that he "took the time, and I was able to turn around over the last two weeks."

USA Basketball Says Kawhi Leonard Missing Olympics Not a Surprise

According to Yahoo! Sports, Kawhi committing to play for USA Basketball was actually quite surprising, with Team USA itself not surprised at his sudden withdrawal given his litany of injuries last season. Practice and preparations for Paris continued as the Americans are trying to bring back glory to the US after their dismal FIBA Basketball World Cup performance.

However, the man replacing him, Derrick White, is a defensive beast who could also get things done on the offensive end. With his inclusion, there are now three C's players in Team USA, joining fellow champions Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum.

Kawhi Leonard Breaks Silence on Paul George Leaving Clippers

It is not just his sudden departure from USA Basketball making the rounds but also his "break-up" with Paul George, who left the Clippers as a free agent and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers to play with Joel Embiid.

"We knew what it was before the season," said Leonard after his USA Basketball practice last Tuesday. "We knew what it was going to come down to. So, we talked the whole way through, it's no surprise."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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