Kawhi Leonard has withdrawn from the U.S. basketball team for the upcoming Paris Olympics, USA Basketball announced Wednesday.
“Kawhi has been preparing for the Olympics over the past several weeks and has had some intense practices in Las Vegas,” a statement from USA Basketball said. “He felt prepared to compete. However, he respects that USA Basketball and the Clippers have determined that it is 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.”
Leonard played in 68 games during the 2023-24 NBA regular season while dealing with chronic knee pain and inflammation. He participated in all of Team USA’s training camps and games in preparation for the Paris Games, but Leonard and team staff felt his knee would prevent him from being 100% during the Olympic tournament.
Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 NBA season after tearing his ACL during the 2021 postseason and was limited to just two games during the 2023 playoffs due to a torn meniscus.
Earlier this month, Leonard said the Clippers were “not really” concerned about him making Team USA. “They had a positive attitude about the situation,” Leonard said. “So, yeah, they weren’t too worried about it.”
According Marc J. Spears of ESPNLeonard will be replaced on the roster by Boston Celtics’ Derrick White. White was part of the team that played in the 2019 FIBA World Cup and finished seventh.
The United States team begins its Pre-Olympic exhibition program They will face Canada in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. They will then travel to the United Arab Emirates for two games against Australia and Serbia next week before finishing the tour in London against South Sudan and Germany.
Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico will face Team USA in the Olympic group stage, which begins July 28 in Lille, France.