NEW YORK, USA – Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook said Friday, June 10 (Saturday, June 11 in Manila) he has joined the growing list of NBA stars who have withdrawn from consideration for the US Olympic team defending gold at Rio.
Westbrook, who shared eighth among NBA scorers this season with 23.5 points a game, did not give a specific reason for turning away the Olympic chance in a statement released by his club.
"After speaking with my family, I have decided to not participate in this year's Olympics," Westbrook said. "This was not an easy decision, as representing my country at the World Championships in 2010 and the Olympics in 2012 were career highlights for me. I look forward to future opportunities as a member of USA Basketball."
Westbrook also had 10.4 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 2.04 steals a game for the Thunder, who lost the Western Conference final to Golden State in 7 games. He ranked second in the league in assists and fifth in steals.
The move came 4 days after two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry of the defending champion Golden State Warriors said he would not make his Olympic debut in Rio, citing the toll on his body rather than concern over the Zika virus that has prompted concerns for competitors and visitors alike.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are playing Golden State in the NBA Finals, said they will not decide about the Olympics until after the championship series has concluded.
Other US NBA stars who will miss the Olympics include San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge, Anthony Davis of New Orleans, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and John Wall of the Washington Wizards.
The pullouts mean the US Olympic squad for Rio has lost the NBA's top scorer and most accurate free throw shooter in Curry, 3 of the top 4 in assists in Westbrook, Paul and Wall and 3 of the top 5 in steals in Curry, Paul and Westbrook.
The American talent drain brings back memories of numerous players backing out ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics, when the US squad settled for bronze after dominating gold medal runs with NBA talent in the prior 3 Olympics.
In the wake of that flop came the current program with Mike Krzyzewski as coach and gold medals at Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. – Rappler.com