Derrick White replaces Kawhi Leonard on Team USA roster
BOSTON -- Derrick White's summer will now include a trip to Paris. With Kawhi Leonard opting not to play for Team USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics, White is taking his spot on the roster.
Leonard has bowed out due to chronic knee soreness and inflammation, clearing a way for White to go for gold in Paris. He joins a star-studded squad and will give Team USA another versatile defender and an off-ball threat to balance things out on offense. An incredible teammate in Boston, White should fit right in with the rest of the Team USA roster, both on the court and off.
Welcome to the 🇺🇸 #USABMNT, @Dwhite921! pic.twitter.com/99n1S33ITO
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 10, 2024
While he's never been an All-Star like everyone else on the team, White is coming off an NBA championship with the Celtics and a season where he averaged a career high 15.2 points off nearly 40 percent shooting from downtown. He was named to the NBA's All-Defensive Second Team for a second straight year, after he averaged 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per game during the regular season.
White will be joining Boston teammates Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday on the 12-man roster, as the trio of Celtics look to add a gold medal to their trophy collection. We could potentially see White and Holiday play alongside each other in the Olympics, which would give Team USA the same lockdown backcourt as the championship Celtics.
Though he wasn't on the team with Tatum and Holiday when Team USA won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, White does have some experience on the international stage. He played for Team USA at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, though that squad finished in seventh place.