Less than 24 hours after saying his balky right knee “has been good so far” and he expected to suit up for Team USA’s exhibition game against Canada on Wednesday night in Las Vegas, Kawhi Leonard is not going to Paris for the Summer Olympics.
USA Basketball announced Wednesday morning that the San Diego State alum has been replaced on the 12-man roster by Boston Celtics guard Derrick White.
“Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the past several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas,” USA Basketball said in a statement from its pre-Olympics training camp at UNLV. “He felt ready to compete. 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.”
Leonard, 33, missed the final eight games of the NBA regular season and most of the Clippers’ first-round series against Dallas with what was described as chronic inflammation from multiple surgeries on his right knee. He’s had two months off since the Clippers were eliminated, but the knee apparently has not responded like he had hoped.
There’s also this: The Clippers just lost Paul George to free agency and they’re opening the $2 billion Intuit Dome in Inglewood. Owner Steve Ballmer, no doubt, was not keen on risking further injury to the face of the franchise from a compressed Olympic tournament with six games in 14 days.
Leonard missed the end of the 2021 playoffs after tearing his ACL, then the entire 2021-22 season, then appeared in only two playoff games in 2023 after tearing meniscus in the same knee. He played in 68 regular-season games last season, his most since 2016-17, then shut it down midway through the playoff series against the Mavericks.
Still, a day earlier he spoke optimistically about the career-long “dream” of adding the interlocking rings to his legacy.
“Just competing with these guys,” Leonard told media Tuesday about what he looked forward to most. “Seeing the city of Paris, watching other Olympic Games (events) and rooting for USA.”
Asked about his knee, he said: “Yeah, I think I’ll suit up tomorrow (against Canada). Everything has been good so far. It’s been at a neutral state, and hopefully it stays that way.”
On advice he’d give other athletes about returning from knee surgery, he said: “Just stay true to yourself, don’t skip any days on your rehab, and stay patient. That’s all you can do. Whatever happens, happens.”