Kawhi Leonard out for Paris Olympics; Derrick White to Team USA - ESPN

Kawhi Leonard will not play in the upcoming Paris Olympics for Team USA, which has replaced the LA Clippers forward with Boston Celtics guard Derrick White.

In a statement released Wednesday, USA Basketball implied that Leonard's decision was influenced by the Clippers and Team USA officials after observing training camp in Las Vegas over the past three days.

It would have been the first Olympic trip for Leonard, who missed 12 of the Clippers' final 14 games this past season with right knee inflammation.

Clippers coach Ty Lue is on the Team USA coaching staff. Representatives from the Clippers, including team president Lawrence Frank, have attended practices at UNLV this week.

«Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the last several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas. He felt ready to compete,» USA Basketball said. «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.»

White, who recently signed a four-year extension worth $126 million, played on Team USA at the 2019 World Cup. He averaged 15.2 points and 5.2 assists for the NBA champion Celtics this past season.

«I am happy to announce that Derrick will compete at his first Olympic Games on the heels of a championship season in Boston,» USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill said. «We look forward to him joining the team in the coming days as we continue preparations for Paris.

»I want to thank Kawhi for his commitment to the USA Men's National Team. He earned the opportunity to represent the United States, but USA Basketball and Clippers leadership felt it's important to