Former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard has withdrawn from the USA Olympic basketball team. But a Colorado kid is on his way to the rescue.
Legend alum and former CU Buff Derrick White is reportedly tabbed to take Leonard’s spot on the USA roster according to Marc Spears.
Celtics guard Derrick White will be replacing Kawhi Leonard with USA Basketball, a source told @andscape.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 10, 2024
White is coming off the most memorable season of his career, which was capped with helping the Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA championship.
His selection is historical from a local standpoint as White is the first Colorado high school basketball player to make the Olympic roster.
After some quick research on Basketball Reference, I can say with relative confidence that Derrick White is the first Colorado high school basketball graduate to make Team USA for the Olympics. #copreps
— Daniel Mohrmann (@DanMohrmann) July 10, 2024
This past season, White played in 73 regular season games for the Celtics and averaged 15.2 points per game. He averaged 16.7 points per game during the Celtics championship playoff run.
Team USA will play in the USA Basketball Showcase prior to heading to Paris. They open Olympic play on July 28 with a game against Nikola Jokic’s Serbia squad.
