Basketball fans who are looking forward to watching Kobe Bryant don the USA Basketball jersey for the last time will not get their wish granted, as the Los Angeles Lakers superstar announced that he will not play in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Bryant, who will retire after the 2015-16 NBA season, told Yahoo Sports that he has already informed USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski about his decision.
When asked why he decided to let go of the opportunity of playing his final tournament for USA Basketball in Rio, Bryant said that he does not want to get a roster spot from a deserving player.
"Since my retirement announcement, I'm able to watch these guys in a different light," Bryant said. "I've come to terms with the fact that they are the future of this game. These are the guys who deserve the spots in Rio. These are the guys who people need to watch and root for."
Bryant, who helped the national squad win the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, also admitted that his health could hurt the team, as he has been dealing with numerous injuries over the past several years, including shoulder and Achilles issues.
But for fans who will be contented in seeing Bryant in Rio, there is still hope. The five-time NBA champion said that he is willing to help USA Basketball but in a different capacity.
"If they want me to come down and speak to the guys, I will, but that's about it," said Bryant, who is averaging 16.3 points on top of 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season. "As beautiful as it would be to play for the country - I mean, I love our country - when I say my last game, it's going to be my last game."
Following Bryant's decision to take his name out of consideration, USA Basketball named the 30 finalists on Monday. The final roster is expected to be announced in June after the 2016 NBA Finals. Below is the list of finalists.
- LaMarcus Aldridge - San Antonio Spurs
- Carmelo Anthony - New York Knicks
- Harrison Barnes - Golden State Warriors
- Bradley Beal - Washington Wizards
- Jimmy Butler - Chicago Bulls
- Mike Conley - Memphis Grizzlies
- DeMarcus Cousins - Sacramento Kings
- Stephen Curry - Golden State Warriors
- Anthony Davis - New Orleans Pelicans
- DeMar DeRozan - Toronto Raptors
- Andre Drummond - Detroit Pistons
- Kevin Durant - Oklahoma City Thunder
- Kenneth Faried - Denver Nuggets
- Rudy Gay - Sacramento Kings
- Paul George - Indiana Pacers
- Draymond Green - Golden State Warriors
- Blake Griffin - Los Angeles Clippers
- James Harden - Houston Rockets
- Gordon Hayward - Utah Jazz
- Dwight Howard - Houston Rockets
- Andre Iguodala - Golden State Warriors
- Kyrie Irving - Cleveland Cavaliers
- LeBron James - Cleveland Cavaliers
- DeAndre Jordan - Los Angeles Clippers
- Kawhi Leonard - San Antonio Spurs
- Kevin Love - Cleveland Cavaliers
- Chris Paul - Los Angeles Clippers
- Klay Thompson - Golden State Warriors
- John Wall - Washington Wizards
