Kawhi Leonard said his surgically repaired right knee was “in a neutral state” after a fourth day of training camp workouts with Team USA and he was hopeful it would stay that way.
This did not happened.
So, in consultation with Team USA and the Clippers, Leonard withdrew from the Paris Olympics so the forward can focus on keeping his knee healthy for the 2024-25 NBA season.
“Kawhi has been preparing for the Olympics over the past few weeks and had some strong training in Las Vegas,” Team USA said in a statement Wednesday morning. “He felt ready to compete. However, he respects the fact that USA Basketball and the Clippers have determined that it is in his best interest to spend the rest of the summer preparing for next season rather than participating in the Paris Olympic Games.”
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The U.S. is scheduled to face Canada in an exhibition game Wednesday night, a game Leonard said after Tuesday’s practice he would play.
“Yeah, I think I’ll get dressed tomorrow,” Leonard said Tuesday. “Everything has been fine so far. It’s in a neutral state and I hope it stays that way.”
But injuries were part of Leonard’s time with the Clippers during his five seasons in Los Angeles.
He played in 68 games last season, the most since he played in 74 for the San Antonio Spurs during the 2016-17 season, but missed the Clippers’ final eight regular-season games due to right knee inflammation.
See more information: ‘I enjoyed it’: Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard ready for Paris Olympics
Leonard then played in Games 2 and 3 of the Clippers’ first-round playoff series against the Mavericks, but missed the last three consecutive games due to right knee inflammation. His last time in an NBA game was April 26.
Of the 410 regular season games during his time with the Clippers, Leonard played in just 226.
He missed the entire 2021-22 season because he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the 2021 playoffs.
He tore his right meniscus during the 2023 playoffs against the Suns and underwent a “cleaning” procedure on his right knee last summer.
After Sunday’s practice, Leonard spoke about his poor health history.
“Last year I tried to play as much as possible, I felt really good and you know there was a period I couldn’t go,” he said. “I tried the best I could, but it’s just my journey. You know I don’t want to be in the situation I’m in, but I have to accept what it is. And you know a lot of people are watching. Supporters or skeptics, but I motivate a lot of people. So I have to keep doing what I’m doing. I may be the best known at the time, like an injury [problems] or something, but people or players have worse luck than me.
“Just being able to keep going will motivate the next guy watching you. And even if you’re not playing, a sport is motivational. That’s what I get from other people. So I will continue.”
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People not authorized to speak publicly about the matter told The Times last week that there was concern about Leonard’s knee after Grant Hill, the U.S. team’s managing director; Steve Kerr, coach of the USA team; and Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, watched him practice recently at the Clippers’ practice facility.
Kerr told The Times after Tuesday’s practice that Leonard had been “up and down” during practice with Team USA.
“I thought the first day he was moving pretty early, not much later, and that makes perfect sense because he’s coming back from an injury,” Kerr told The Times. “The tricky part here is that you have an accelerated preparation schedule. So that’s what we have to determine and he has to help us determine. Could he, with this accelerated schedule, be at his best in a few weeks when this starts?
The answer ended up being no.
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
