Two days after James Harden reportedly committed to play in the Tokyo Olympics, the Brooklyn Nets guard has withdrawn from the Team USA roster.
Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that Harden will instead spend the summer focusing on recovering from the hamstring injury that sidelined him for a significant portion of the regular season and lingered in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant and Chicago Bulls guard Zach Lavine have committed to play in Tokyo. Based on earlier reporting, the addition of Grant and Lavine rounds out the full 12-man Team USA roster.
Team USA will seek its fourth straight gold medal in Tokyo and its 15th overall. Durant and Green are the only players returning from the roster that won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. While the roster is stacked with All-Star talent as usual, there are several notable players not joining the team for various reasons.
LeBron James hinted to reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers lost in the first round of the playoffs that he wasn’t going to play. The 36-year-old has two gold medals and a bronze medal in Olympic play and struggled with injuries during the season.
