Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook and Houston Rockets guard James Harden confirmed Friday they have joined the growing list of NBA stars who are backing out on playing for the US team at the Rio Olympics.
Harden, this season’s number two NBA scorer with 29.0 points a game, and Westbrook, who shared eighth with a 23.5-point average, both said in statements they made the decision after speaking with family members.
Neither specifically mentioned the Zika virus that has prompted health concerns for potential competitors and visitors alike, but both said it was hard to turn their backs on a US squad seeking a third consecutive gold medal and they hoped for another chance to represent their country.
“As a result of many difficult conversations with my family, the Rockets, and trusted advisers, I’ve notified (USA Basketball director) Jerry Colangelo and Team USA that I will not be competing at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Brazil,” Harden said.
“This decision was a painstaking one that I did not take lightly.”
Harden, who ranked sixth in the NBA this season with 7.5 assists a game and 16th in steals with 1.7 a game, played for the 2012 London Olympic championship squad and captained the 2014 Basketball World Cup championship team that clinched the Americans a berth in Brazil in August.
“USA Basketball has provided me with some of the most meaningful personal and professional accomplishments of my life,” Harden said.
“I’ve been extremely blessed to wear the ‘red, white, and blue’ and to compete at the highest international level with the greatest players representing the greatest country in the world.”
Westbrook also had 10.4 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 2.04 steals a game for the Thunder, who lost the Western Conference final to Golden State in seven games. He ranked second in the league in assists and fifth in steals.
“After speaking with my family, I have decided to not participate in this year’s Olympics,” Westbrook said.
“This was not an easy decision, as representing my country at the World Championships in 2010 and the Olympics in 2012 were career highlights.”
Their move came four days after this season’s NBA scoring leader, two-time NBA Most
Valuable Player Stephen Curry of the defending champion Golden State Warriors, said he would not make his Olympic debut in Rio, citing injuries and fatigue.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are playing Golden State in the NBA Finals, said they will not decide about the Olympics until after the championship series has concluded.
An all-star lineup gone
Other US NBA stars who will miss the Olympics include San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge, Anthony Davis of New Orleans, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and John Wall of the Washington Wizards. The pullouts mean the US Olympic squad for Rio has lost an all-star squad of talent, including the NBA’s top two scorers, four of the top six in assists in Westbrook, Paul, Wall and Harden and three of the top five in steals in Curry, Paul and Westbrook.
The American talent drain brings back memories of numerous players backing out ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics, when safety concerns and late construction were
issues.
The US squad settled for bronze after dominating gold medal runs with NBA talent in the prior three Olympics.
In the wake of that flop came the current program with Mike Krzyzewski as coach and gold medals at Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.
Russell Westbrook and James Harden
