Rio de Janeiro, June 7: Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has ruled himself out of the Rio Olympics citing injury concerns.
The 28-year-old said he wanted to focus on recovering form ankle and knee complaints which have affected him this season, reports Xinhua.
“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 USA’s preliminary roster for the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil,” Curry said in a statement on Monday.
“I recently informed [USA Basketball chairman] Jerry Colangelo of this decision. 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.
“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 and getting ready for the 2016-17 NBA season.”
Curry is on the verge of leading the Warriors to their second consecutive NBA championship. The California outfit hold a 2-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the best-of-seven finals.
Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski is expected to name his 12-man Olympic roster at the end of the month.
The USA squad will also be without, Anthony Davis (injury), Blake Griffin and Chris Paul (rest) for the Rio Games, which will be held from August 5-21.
