Skip Bayless Defends Kawhi Leonard’s Decision to Drop Out of the Olympic Team

Skip Bayless and Kawhi Leonard. Credits: USA TODAY Sports

Kawhi Leonard recently withdrew his name from the 2024 Paris Olympic team. Within a few hours, Derrick White was announced as his replacement on the roster. However, a big name like that pulling out from a major tournament cannot go without being discussed and dissected by the media. On a recent episode of UNDISPUTED, Skip Bayless said that he supports Kawhi’s decision to take his name out, citing his league commitment as the reason.

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Bayless said that even though he understands why people are targeting Kawhi for this decision, they should instead focus on the reason why the Clippers star had to do it. As per the 72-year-old, the LA franchise and the chances of their success in the next season depend on Kawhi. He said, “The Clippers can’t stand in the way of patriotism… They [clippers] just put all their eggs and all their basketballs in his basket… Again.” Which is why it’s better if he doesn’t put himself at risk while playing in the Olympics.

If Kawhi went forward with his selection, he would’ve played eight high-pressure games averaging 15-20 minutes. As someone who missed 12 of the last 14 games for the franchise in the last season due to a knee inflammation, playing in the Olympics might make matters worse for the Clippers next season. Bayless said that “He’s got chronically bad both knees” and letting him play for Team USA in the offseason would be a “high risk” situation for the Clippers.

While Bayless understands the reason behind Kawhi’s decision, Keyshawn Johnson is strictly against it. The NFL veteran stated that in this scenario, representing the country should have been prioritized, even if it meant risking Kawhi picking up an injury. Keyshawn said that Kawhi already has two NBA Championships, and this was his opportunity to add an Olympic gold medal to his resume. Unfortunately, it won’t happen this year.

Derrick White is replacing Kawhi Leonard on the Olympic roster

As per the official statement from USA Basketball, Kawhi was looking really good at the early scrimmages. The Clippers star, Kawhi, was very excited to participate in the Olympics as well. However, after concerns regarding his recovery expressed by USA Basketball and the Clippers, the two-time NBA Champion decided to take his name out. This created an open spot for another player and Celtics’ Derrick White was first in line to grab it with both hands.

USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill said,

“I am happy to announce that Derrick will compete at his first Olympic Games on the heels of a championship season in Boston. We look forward to him joining the team in the coming days as we continue preparations for Paris.”

It’s probably for the best that Kawhi will take this time to recover because the Clippers have just lost Paul George, which will only make Kawhi’s role in the team more important.