Chris Paul will not participate in this year’s Olympic Games, Sports Illustrated is reporting.
The soon-to-be 31-year old point guard is withdrawing his name from pool consideration for the contests in Rio, an understandable move considering his age and history with Team USA.
Paul is currently averaging just under 20 points, two steals and 10 assists for his Los Angeles Clippers, in what has been a remarkable if not frustrating career year. Teammate Blake Griffin has been out since Christmas with a quadriceps injury that was followed by a broken hand suffered in a fight, he won’t return until April 3, and Paul has had to shoulder a heavy load in response. The Clippers will comfortably enter April with the West’s fourth-best record, but CP3’s work in securing the team’s first round home court fortune couldn’t have been anything less than wearying.
SI’s Lee Jenkins has the report of Paul’s decision:
After more than a decade of contribution to USA Basketball, Paul told SI.com on Monday that he is withdrawing from consideration for this summer’s Olympic team, likely ending his international career. “I feel my body telling me that I could use the time,” he said.
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Paul, the best point guard of his generation, has a hard time recalling a summer when he was not either injured, recovering from injury, or playing for Team USA. The Olympics are synonymous with other touchstones in his life. His wife, Jada, became pregnant with their son, Chris Jr., right after the ’08 Olympics and gave birth to their daughter, Camryn, right after the ’12 Games. “Just a few days ago, Little Chris asked me, ‘Daddy, will you play in the Olympics again?’” Paul said. “Part of me wanted to say yes, because he’s never been part of it. But I told him, ‘I want to spend more time with you.’” Paul, a fixture at his son’s Little League complex and basketball gym even during the NBA season, opted to stay home.
This is a completely understandable move, on the veteran’s part.
Paul was looked over as Team USA’s token NCAA ambassador in 2004 in favor of the recently-drafted Emeka Okafor, but made the 2006, 2008 and 2012 outfits. That 2006 World Championship squad was felled by poor coaching, rotation choices and scouting, but Paul and his teammates recovered to take Olympic gold in the next two tries.
Paul’s age alone shouldn’t have stopped his participation, as 33-year old Tim Hardaway made the Olympics in 2000 following 34-year old John Stockton’s stint in 1996, but the NBA drag has drained quite a bit from CP3 – a player that had to limp to the finish line in last year’s postseason with a bum hamstring.
His three medals and two Olympic gold medals likely encouraged the decision to step aside, as did the point guard depth at Team USA’s disposal. Paul acknowledged as much in talking with Jenkins, mentioning Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry by name. Team USA’s pool is so deep that the East’s best point guard on the season isn’t even on the list of final roster candidates.
The final cuts will be announced following the conclusion of 2015-16 season, in late June. Paul is looking to play into June for the first time in his NBA career.
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