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 sacrifices he made in order to make this commitment to the Olympics. So it was very disappointing."
Frank went on to say that while he doesn't agree with the decision, he understands that Team USA has to do what's best for them.
"Now, with that being said, I understand from USAB's perspective that they have to do what they feel is in the best interest of the team, despite what I think," Frank said. "They're also managing other players who are dealing with injuries, so I understand that they have to do what's best. But we were really disappointed for Kawhi, and this is something we really wanted for him. But with that being said, now I think we have to move forward. We support USAB."
This situation is a double-edge sword, because on one hand, given Leonard's age (33) there's a chance he may not be on the team for the next Olympics in 2028 when he'll be 37. Leonard also hasn't won a gold medal for Team USA, after being injured for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and not making the roster in 2016, despite being named a finalist. We've seen how important winning a gold medal is for a lot of these players, and it would a shame if Leonard retired without ever being able to compete in the Olympics.
But on the other hand, as difficult a decision as it must've been for Team USA, it's ultimately the right one. In Leonard's last three playoff appearances, he's sustained injuries that either kept him sidelined for the rest of the Clippers' playoff games, or worse, forced him to miss the following season after tearing his ACL in 2021. Throughout Leonard's career he's struggled to stay healthy, especially since joining the Clippers, and after coming off a first-round playoff exit to the Mavericks in which he missed four of the six games due to injury, it makes sense why USAB would be hesitant.
This isn't just about USA winning gold, this is about Leonard's career in the NBA as well. In the last three seasons combined, he's played in eight of a possible 22 playoff games for the Clippers. When he's healthy, he's one of the league's best two-way players, and during this past season he was operating at an MVP level after appearing in 68 games, the most games he's played in the regular season in eight years. As talented as Leonard is, given the injury history he's unfortunately the type of player that basically has to be secured in bubble wrap during the offseason.
Leonard may not have been experiencing any lingering effects from the knee injury that kept him sidelined for the playoffs in May, but if he sustained an injury while playing in the Olympics, or even one of these exhibition games, it would've been a massive blow for the Clippers. Frank may not agree with the decision made by Hill and the rest of USAB, but bigger picture here, the Clippers have committed $149.5 million over the next three years to Leonard. Making sure Leonard is able to compete in as many games as possible over the life of that deal should be the most important thing, even if that means sitting out the Olympics.
