Russell Westbrook won’t play for Team USA in World Cup
Like so many others, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook enjoys representing his country in international play. Westbrook was a member of the 2010 team that won the FIBA World Championship and returned to play for Team USA in 2012, helping the Americans claim a gold medal at the Olympics in London.
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Unfortunately, Westbrook won’t be playing for Team USA this year. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Westrbook won’t be playing in this summer’s World Cup.
"Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook has withdrawn from USA Basketball’s roster for the World Cup in Spain this summer, league sources told Yahoo Sports.Westbrook had been part of gold-medal-winning teams in 2010 and ’12 in the world championships and Olympics, respectively, and has been a favorite of national coach Mike Krzyzewski.Westbrook, 25, still has hopes of playing in the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, sources said."
The move really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. After all, Westbrook has had three separate surgeries in the last 14 months, once of which took him out of the 2013 postseason. Last season, Westbrook played in 46 games (and all 19 postseason games) for the Thunder. He averaged 21.8 points, 6.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 43.7% from the field, 31.8% from beyond the arc and 82.6% from the free throw line.
It really shouldn’t be much of a concern on the court for team USA either. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers are all on the team. Plus, Chicago Bulls’ star point guard Derrick Rose is also debating playing and several reports over the last few months have indicated he plans to play.