Load management? Everyone has the same joke as Kawhi Leonard withdraws from Olympics

In shocking yet unsurprising news, Los Angeles Clippers wing Kawhi Leonard is withdrawing from Team USA ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Injuries have plagued Leonard throughout his career. Even after experiencing his healthiest NBA regular-season campaign since 2016-17 this year, he got hurt come playoff time. 

Leonard was in and out of the lineup in the Clippers' first-round postseason series against the Dallas Mavericks due to right knee inflammation. Since then, he has been working to prepare himself for the Olympic tournament starting on July 27. 

But on Wednesday, USA Basketball released an official statement revealing that Leonard will not participate in the global competition:

The announcement says that Leonard "has been ramping up for the Olympics" and "had a few strong practices in Las Vegas." Nevertheless, further comments from the report suggest the Clippers brass has weighed into the decision-making process.

Load management? Clippers star Kawhi Leonard withdraws from Team USA ahead of Olympics

Despite Leonard training for the Olympic Games in Paris, USA Basketball and the Clippers jointly determined he shouldn't play. They concluded it's in his "best interest" to spend the rest of the summer focusing on the upcoming NBA season instead.

While it makes sense, especially following the departure of former Clippers co-star Paul George, this is an unfortunate development for Leonard. The six-time All-Star is the butt of everyone's same joke -- that he is load-managing even in the Olympics.

On Sunday, Leonard sounded optimistic about representing America at the Olympics. After practicing fully with the team over the first two days, he told ESPN: "Everything's been going good." Only a few days later, he now removed himself from the roster.

Shortly after Leonard officially pulled out of Team USA, Andscape's Marc J. Spears disclosed that Boston Celtics two-way guard Derrick White would replace him. Regardless, losing a two-time Finals MVP is a significant blow for a group going for gold. 

If this outcome yields Leonard consistently staying on the court for the Clippers, then the criticism and memes will be well worth it.