Report: LeBron James Has Opted Out of Representing the United States at the Olympics Yet Again
National Basketball Association superstar LeBron James has opted out of representing the United States at the Olympics in Tokyo next month.
The 36-year-old battled an injury during the latter half of the 2020-21 basketball season, Fox News reported.
As of Thursday, James has played in 1,310 regular-season games and 266 playoff games.
The Los Angeles Lakers star also participated in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics, but skipped the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
James has come under scrutiny for his connections to China, some of which have emerged because of his partnership with Nike, according to USA Today.
As of 2019, James had traveled to the country 15 times since his signing with the sports apparel company, and the athlete has been careful not to upset the reigning communist regime in China.
James called out Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in 2019 for the timing of his pro-Hong Kong protesters tweet before the Lakers and Brooklyn Nets played preseason games in China.
“We do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negative things that come with that too,” James said at the time.
“I also don’t think every issue should be everybody’s problem.”
James and other stars found themselves at the center of a firestorm in 2019 after refusing to condemn China for the country’s creeping totalitarian takeover of Hong Kong.
China has come under severe scrutiny in recent years as a result of the country’s reported human rights abuses in Hong Kong and outright slave labor and cultural genocide among the Uyghur Muslim population in the Xinjiang region.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who has a deal with Under Armour that sources apparel out of China, also passed on playing for Team USA, Fox News reported.
The seven-time All-Star came back from an injury he suffered during the 2019-20 season to play 63 games in the 2020-21 season.
Curry has never competed for Team USA in the Olympic Games, though he had the opportunity to participate in 2016.
“I think it makes perfect sense, actually. Steph has so many demands on his time. He has to play so hard for so much of the season. He’s 180 pounds. He’s [33]. He needs rest,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told NBC Sports.
“I’m happy for Steph that he’s going to get plenty of rest and family time this summer and he’ll be ready to go come training camp in September.”
Team USA will include Bam Adebayo, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Jerami Grant, Draymond Green, Jrue Holiday, Zach LaVine, Damian Lillard, Kevin Love, Khris Middleton and Jayson Tatum, according to CBS Sports.
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