Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has withdrawn from the U.S. basketball team for the Paris Games, as announced by the Olympic committee. "Kawhi has been ramping up his preparation for the Olympic Games over the past few weeks and has had some strong practices in Las Vegas," Team USA stated in their announcement.

"He felt ready to compete. However, he respects that USA Basketball and the Clippers have determined that it's in his best interest to spend the rest of the summer preparing for the next season instead of participating in the Paris Olympic Games," they added.

Leonard, an NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs (2014) and the Toronto Raptors (2019), was one of the 12 players selected by Steve Kerr for the Paris Olympics. A replacement hasn't been announced yet, but U.S. media speculates it will be Derrick White, who recently won the NBA championship with the Boston Celtics.

Leonard, 33, suffers from chronic knee pain, and the Clippers were concerned about his health for the start of the season, in which the Los Angeles team will unveil their new arena. The United States will debut against Serbia in the Olympic Games on July 28.