By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White officially joined the Team USA roster for the 2024 Olympic Games. The 30-year-old player will be replacing Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.
Per USA Basketball:
USA Basketball announced today that Derrick White (Boston Celtics) has been named to the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team, which will compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, set for July 26-Aug. 11, 2024. White was selected by USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill.
As previously confirmed Kawhi Leonard, who was named to the 2024 USA Men’s National Team in April, will not participate at the Olympic Games. USA Basketball and the L.A. Clippers determined it’s in Leonard’s best interest to spend the remainder of the summer preparing for the upcoming NBA season.
“I am happy to announce that Derrick will compete at his first Olympic Games on the heels of a championship season in Boston,” 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 allow Kawhi to prepare for the NBA season.”
In addition to White, the 2024 USA Men’s National Team features Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).
White, a seven-year NBA veteran, joins the USA Men’s National Team after helping lead the Celtics to a record 18th NBA Championship in June. In 2023-24, the 30-year-old guard averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the second consecutive season.
White was named to the 2024 USA Men’s National Team player pool in January. He was a finalist for the 2020 USA Men’s National Team and a member of the 2019 USA World Cup Team.
Leonard, a member of the USA Basketball family since 2012, was a member of two USA Select Teams in 2012 and 2014 and played for USA White in the 2015 USA Basketball Showcase.
The 2024 Men’s Senior National team boasts a combined 11 Olympic appearances and owns 10 Olympic gold medals as well as three FIBA World Cup titles. In total, the U.S. will take 11 NBA All-Stars, four NBA MVPs and seven NBA champions to Paris.
The 2024 USA Men’s National Team will be led by head coach Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), who is assisted by Mark Few (Gonzaga University), Tyronn Lue (LA Clippers) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat). Last summer, the quartet coached the 2023 USA Basketball Men’s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup in Manila.
The 2024 Olympic Games are set for July 26-Aug. 11. The U.S. men open group play in Lille, France, against Serbia on July 28. They will then face South Sudan on July 31 and Puerto Rico on Aug. 3.
The USA Basketball Showcase, an exhibition series to help prepare USA men’s and women’s national teams for international competition, will begin today, July 10, when the United States hosts Canada at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 10:30 p.m. ET live on FS1.