Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has withdrawn from Team USA, and Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee and San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson have taken the open spots on the 12-man roster for the Tokyo Olympics, it was announced Friday.
Love spent 10 days with Team USA in Las Vegas preparing for the Games but will not travel to Tokyo. Love is still returning to full form from a right calf injury that kept him out of a significant part of the NBA season.
“I am incredibly disappointed to not be heading to Tokyo with Team USA,” Love said in a statement released by Schwartz, “but you need to be at absolute peak performance to compete at the Olympic level and I am just not there yet.”
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Johnson has been playing with the Olympic team as a member of the USA Select team and developed into a favorite of decision-makers and staff.
McGee, who had been a finalist for the Team USA roster, will report to the team in Las Vegas on Saturday, sources said. The three-time NBA champion has no Olympic experience.
The additions come one day after Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal was forced to drop out of the Olympics after entering the health and safety protocol earlier this week. USA Basketball also announced late Thursday night that the men’s basketball exhibition game against Australia scheduled for Friday night in Las Vegas had been canceled “out of an abundance of caution.” Team USA’s final exhibition game is scheduled for Sunday against Spain, with a charter flight to Japan set for Monday.
Love would have been trying for a second Olympic gold medal, having played for the Americans in London in 2012. He also was on the team that won gold in the 2010 world championship.
That USA Basketball experience helped him get selected for this roster despite his difficult NBA season. Love missed 46 games because of the injury and averaged 12.2 points in 25 games.
He had played in two of the Americans’ three exhibition games in Las Vegas, scoring one point.
The Americans play their Olympic opener against France on July 25.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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