The 12-man roster that Workforce USA has assembled for the Paris Olympics is an all-star solid of gamers. That features a number of the league’s finest expertise like Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. At 10:30 p.m. tonight, Workforce USA has their first exhibition match in opposition to Canada forward of the Olympics.
NBA insider Shams Charania reported at this time that Kawhi Leonard is withdrawing from Workforce USA for the Paris Olympics. Leonard had been working to prepare for the Olympics however his knee was giving him issues. Charania famous that the six-time all-star has been affected by power knee soreness and inflation for months. He simply wasn’t able to play this summer season and it’s doubtless the very best for for Workforce USA and himself.
After cautious consideration, Kawhi Leonard won’t be enjoying for Workforce USA within the Paris Olympics on account of harm
Breaking: Kawhi Leonard won’t play within the Paris Olympics, USA Basketball introduced.
The group and the Clippers decided it’s in Leonard’s finest curiosity to spend the remainder of the summer season making ready for the upcoming season. pic.twitter.com/2sqQMQdPO6
— ESPN (@espn) July 10, 2024
Over the past seven years of Kawhi Leonard’s profession, the gifted SF has needed to take care of a number of nagging accidents. In his ultimate season with the Spurs in 2017-28, Leonard performed in simply 9 video games. He missed the primary 27 video games of the season with a proper quadriceps harm. Workforce medical doctors cleared him to play however Leonard didn’t really feel prepared. For the final 5 seasons, Leonard has been with the LA Clippers. He’s performed in over 60+ video games only one time for LA.
Moreover, he missed the whole 2021-22 season on account of an ACL harm. It’s been an ongoing wrestle for the two-time NBA champion to remain wholesome within the later stage of his profession. Leonard is just 33 however the accidents have taken a toll on him. The previous first-round choose had been working laborious this offseason to strengthen his knee. Experiences say that his surgically ready proper knee saved him out of the final three video games of the Clippers’ postseason. It was solely till about two weeks in the past that his knee lastly felt in a “impartial state.” Whereas Leonard wished to characterize his nation, the Clippers, and Workforce USA felt it was in his finest curiosity to not play.
An replace on Kawhi Leonard from the USA Basketball Males’s Nationwide Workforce. pic.twitter.com/84TjYpc90i
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 10, 2024
Now that Leonard is now not a part of the 12-man roster, Workforce USA must discover a substitute. Based on ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, Boston’s Derrick White might be changing Kawhi Leonard for Workforce USA this summer season. White is coming off an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2024. Moreover, White signed a four-year, $118 million extension this offseason. He’ll have the possibility so as to add an Olympic gold medal to his resume.
