Kawhi Leonard won’t always have Paris, and Lawrence Frank isn’t pleased about it.
The Clippers president of basketball operations expressed his displeasure days after USA Basketball determined it was in Leonard’s “best interest” to sit out the 2024 Olympics due to lingering knee issues.
“It was USAB’s call, and I was, quite frankly, very disappointed with the decision,” Frank told reporters in Las Vegas on Monday. “Kawhi wanted to play. We wanted him to play.”
The two-time Finals MVP was replaced by the Celtics’ Derrick White after last week’s training camp for the team.
Leonard finished the 2024 NBA season battling chronic knee soreness and inflammation, which sidelined him for the Clippers final three playoff games.
Prior to being cut, Leonard participated in the early practices of Team USA’s four-day camp — with Frank in attendance.
“He looked very good, was a full participant in everything that they did,” Frank said. “I wasn’t there for the third practice, where ultimately, that was the point where they decided to go in a different direction. I expressed then, I really wished that they would have given Kawhi more time.”
Over the four years he has been a Clipper, Frank has witnessed the plethora of injuries Leonard has been plagued with.
In 2021, he suffered a torn ACL during the Western Conference semifinals, which caused him to sit out the entire 2021-22 campaign rehabbing.
Leonard suffered a torn meniscus in the first round of the 2023 playoffs before sustaining his most recent knee injury.
Knowing his prior injuries, the organization thought he was in good enough shape to play.
“We have the benefit of having been around Kawhi for five years to see his body, see where he’s at. He looked good to me,” Frank said. “I know all the sacrifices he made in order to make this commitment to the Olympics. So it was very disappointing.”
Frank still managed to digest the situation despite the overflow of disappointment.
“I understand USAB’s perspective that they have to look at what they feel is in the best interest of the team, despite what I think,” he said.
“They’re also managing some other players who are dealing with injuries, so, I understand that they have to do what’s best. … You have to move forward. We support USAB. Desperately want to see them win the gold medal. I know that’s how Kawhi feels, too.”