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July 11 2024
Kawhi Leonard: This Wednesday, USA Basketball announced that Kawhi Leonard, the talented forward from the Los Angeles Clippers, will no longer be part of the men's basketball Olympic team roster.
USA Basketball shared that Kawhi Leonard has been putting in serious work for the Olympics with intense training in Las Vegas. He felt ready to go, but respects the decisions from USA Basketball and the Clippers. They believe it's best for him to focus on getting ready for the upcoming season instead of competing in the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
Leonard was supposed to be a big name among American basketball stars at the Paris Olympics, but he's faced a lot of injury setbacks throughout his career. Leonard has limited his playing time in recent seasons - commonly referred to as "load management" - to ensure he stays healthy for the most important parts of the season.
He suffered a knee injury late in the 2023–24 season that caused him to miss several games in the Clippers' playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks.
USA Basketball announced that Boston Celtics point guard Derrick White would replace Leonard on the team.
33-year-old Leonard is playing his 12th season in the NBA. He has previously played for the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors. He is a two-time NBA champion, winning the title with San Antonio in 2014 and Toronto in 2019.
Just after the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee confirmed Leonard's inclusion in the 592-member US Olympic Team heading to Paris, it was revealed that this would have been Leonard's Olympic debut, after being named a finalist for the 2016 and 2020 teams.
(We've added more information to this story.)
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