Team USA lost two big names when Paul George suffered a devastating leg injury and Kevin Durant withdrew shortly after. Durant cited physical and mental exhaustion, many speculated that Durant left because of George’s injury; USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo revealed the real reason and it was a mixture of it all.
via ESPN:
“Kevin is a terrific guy and a terrific USA Basketball guy, and he was really despondent about not being able to play,” Colangelo said. “He wanted to. But he found himself in a situation where he had no choice.”
Between Paul George’s gruesome leg injury at the end of Team USA’s scrimmage two weeks ago and the fact that Durant has been linked to a huge multimillion dollar deal to sign with Under Armour — Team USA is sponsored by Nike — Colangelo could tell the Oklahoma City Thunder star had a lot on his mind.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Colangelo said. “That was predicated on his week in Vegas where I thought he was … he had a lot of things on his mind. So for him to indicate that he was mentally and physically exhausted, it kind of came but not as a surprise.”
