(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Kawhi Leonard was supposed to be a part of Team USA in the Paris Olympics but will be watching from home instead.
It was announced last week that Leonard would not participate with the team because of a nagging knee injury he is slowly recovering from.
Speaking with Pat McAfee, NBA insider Shams Charania revealed some new information about Leonard’s departure.
He said it wasn’t solely a decision by Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Instead, Team USA was concerned by what they saw from Leonard in practices and felt he wasn’t ready to perform.
“As much as this was a Kawhi Leonard and Clippers decision to withdraw from the team this was a little bit about team USA as well..
Grant Hill was vocal about that and team USA definitely played a part in this” @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/8ql8x5C1Om
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 15, 2024
The official announcement stated that team doctors and the Clippers decided it was best for Leonard to take the summer off so he could fully heal and prepare for the new season.
But Charania said there is more to it than that.
Team USA director Grant Hill and his staff saw that Leonard was still hurt and wasn’t able to move and play like teammates LeBron James, Steph Curry, and others.
When it became clear that he wouldn’t be 100% for the Paris games, they chose to let Leonard go.
He was quickly replaced by Derrick White and the team still has a great chance of winning gold.
As for Leonard, the same old questions are swirling around him.
Will he be ready to play for his Clippers in the fall?
Will he get hurt again?
Sadly, Clippers fans have been asking this about Leonard for years now.
It is unfortunate that Leonard won’t be with Team USA for the Olympics but at least he has more time to heal before the 2024-25 season begins.
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