Less than 24 hours after expressing confidence in his knee's condition, Kawhi Leonard has made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Summer Olympics in Paris. The star player's replacement on the 12-man roster for Team USA will be Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, USA Basketball announced on Wednesday.

Leonard, known for his exceptional skills on the court, had been eagerly preparing for the Olympics over the past few weeks. Despite showing promising progress during practices in Las Vegas, the San Diego State alum has been advised by both USA Basketball and the Los Angeles Clippers to prioritize his health and focus on the upcoming NBA season.

The 33-year-old missed the final eight games of the NBA regular season and a significant portion of the Clippers' first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks due to chronic inflammation in his right knee. While Leonard did have a two-month break following the Clippers' elimination, his knee has not responded as expected.

Amidst the news of Leonard's withdrawal, the Clippers recently suffered another setback with the departure of Paul George in free agency. Furthermore, as the team prepares to inaugurate the brand-new $2 billion Intuit Dome in Inglewood, owner Steve Ballmer was understandably reluctant to risk further injury to their franchise player through the physically demanding Olympic tournament.

For Leonard, the past few seasons have been plagued by knee injuries. He tore his ACL in the 2021 playoffs, leading to him missing the entire 2021-2022 season. He then participated in just two playoff games in 2023 before tearing his meniscus in the same knee. Despite playing 68 regular-season games last year, his most since 2016-2017, he was forced to sit out midway through the playoff series against the Mavericks.

Expressing his disappointment, Leonard shared that he was most looking forward to competing with his fellow athletes, experiencing the city of Paris, and cheering on Team USA in other Olympic events.

While Leonard's absence is undoubtedly disappointing for fans and the team, there is still plenty of excitement surrounding the NBA's upcoming Las Vegas Summer League. Former Aztec Keshad Johnson got a head start with the Miami Heat in the California Classic in San Francisco and Sacramento. Meanwhile, Nathan Mensah, another former teammate of Leonard's, played in the California Classic for the San Antonio Spurs after spending most of his rookie season with the Charlotte Hornets.

The Summer League, which features all 30 NBA franchises, will commence on Friday, with the Spurs and Heat beginning their games on Saturday.

In other news, incoming freshman 7-footer David Majak has decided to adopt his South Sudanese first name, Thokbor, dropping his Americanized name. The SDSU basketball team is also expecting the return of walk-on guard Ryan Schwarz, who had previously entered the transfer portal.

Basketball enthusiasts can also look forward to the one-day youth skills camp hosted by former Aztecs players Matt Bradley and Adam Seiko on July 25 at the OC Hoop Legends facility in Lake Forest. Additionally, the Mountain West basketball media day is scheduled for October 17 in Las Vegas, where the preseason poll will be released.