Stephen Curry has confirmed that he will not play for Team U.S.A. at the upcoming 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The Golden State Warriors star cited his previous injuries as the main reason behind his decision.
According to Curry, he though well and hard before coming up with this decision. For now, his focus is on finishing the 2016 NBA finals as well as preparing his mind and body for next season in the league.
"After a great deal of internal thought and several discussions with my family, the Warriors and my representatives, I've elected to withdraw my name from the list of eligible players on Team U.S.A.'s preliminary roster for the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil," he said in a statement according to ESPN. "I recently informed [USA Basketball chairman] Jerry Colangelo of this decision."
Curry is no stranger to representing the country in an international sporting event. Since 2007, he has played for FIBA and is a two-time FIBA World Cup gold medalist. However, for this year, he will not be able to play for the team. Like Curry, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis and Blake Griffin also opted out of the honor of representing the team in an international arena due to injuries, according to USA Today.
"My previous experiences with USA Basketball have been incredibly rewarding, educational and enjoyable, which made this an extremely difficult decision for me and my family," Curry said. "However, due to several factors - including recent ankle and knee injuries - I believe this is the best decision for me at this stage of my career."
"It's an incredible honor to represent your country and wear 'USA' on your chest, but my primary basketball-related objective this summer needs to focus on my body getting ready for the 2016-17 NBA season."
The injuries that Curry were referring to were the ones that plagued him during the playoffs. During the first round against the Toronto Rockets, he suffered an ankle injury which forced him out of the game and to miss out on two more matches in the series. Then, after returning for Game 4, he sprained his right knee and was once again taken out of the game.
