Los Angeles Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank is “very disappointed” that Kawhi Leonard was removed from Team USA’s Olympics roster and disputes a USA Basketball statement that his team played a role in the decision.
Frank addressed the topic while speaking with reporters in Las Vegas on Monday.
“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.”
Lawrence Frank said it was Team USA’s decision for Kawhi Leonard to not compete in the Olympics.
Frank was very disappointed in the decision, and thought Kawhi looked great. pic.twitter.com/8FT9feL73i
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) July 15, 2024
Leonard was initially selected to play for Team USA in what would have been his first Olympic Games. At the conclusion of last week’s Team USA training camp in Las Vegas, USA Basketball announced that it was replacing Leonard with Boston Celtics guard Derrick White.
Leonard — a six-time All-NBA selection and two-time Finals MVP — finished the Clippers season with a knee injury that sidelined him for the team’s final three playoff games in April and May. He participated in the early practices of Team USA’s four-day camp before the team ultimately made the decision to release him, citing his “best interest.”
“Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the past several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas,” the statement released on July 10 reads. “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.”
Kawhi Leonard will not play in his first Olympics this summer. (AP /Matt Slocum, Archivo)
USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill said after the decision that “we just had to pivot” and that we “all gave a valiant effort” for Leonard to play on the team. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue is an assistant on Team USA coach Steve Kerr’s staff. It’s not clear what role, if any, Lue had in the decision.
Frank said that he watched Leonard in USA Basketball’s early practices and thought that he looked “very good.”
“I was there the first two practices,” Frank said when asked if Leonard had a setback with his knee injury. “He looked very good, 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 decided to go in a different direction. I expressed then, I really wished that they would have given Kawhi more time.
“We have the benefit of having been around Kawhi for five years to see his body, see where he’s at. 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 he understands that Team USA has to make decisions that are in the best interests of the team and that he’ll be supporting USA Basketball during the Olympics.
Team USA edged Australia, 98-92 on Monday in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi while playing without Kevin Durant. USA previously beat Canada in an exhibition in Las Vegas on July 10.
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