Monday, Golden State Warriors guard and two-time MVP Stephen Curry announced that he has withdrawn from the 2016 Rio Olympic games in order to recover from a recent ankle and knee injury.
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The NBA playoffs end on June 19 at the absolute latest, while the Summer Olympics start on August 5. He suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain early in the National Basketball Association postseason that still hasn’t healed completely.
Curry has never played for Team USA during the Olympics.
Curry went on to say recent ankle and knee injuries helped sway his decision.
Curry has been battling with a troublesome right knee issue, although it has not prevented him from leading the Golden State Warriors to the NBA Finals, where they lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, Clippers guard Chris Paul, Wizards guard John Wall and Clippers forward Blake Griffin have also pulled out of Olympic consideration, according to ESPN.
Various sources told Marcus Thompson of Bay Area News Group that Curry “has already told USA Basketball that he will not be playing for a gold medal”. The warning has reportedly “raised red flags” for some players, though Thompson doesn’t list it as Curry’s primary reason for skipping the games. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes remain candidates for the USA team, while Australia’s Andrew Bogut, Brazil’s Anderson Varejao and Leandro Barbosa and Nigeria’s Festus Ezeli are on their countries’ rosters.
Paul, who won two golds with the USA, had already opted not to play this time, and fellow point guards John Wall of Washington and Mike Conley of Memphis are coming off injuries. He made 43.8 per cent of his attempts then from the shorter global 3-point arc, and the Americans will miss his shooting against the zone defences they face. “Steph has always represented his country in an exemplary manner, and we are sorry that he won’t be able to be with us this summer”.
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The Zika epidemic in Brazil has been a major concern for several players, who have considered opting out of the games in Brazil this summer.
