Kawhi Leonard the Last Key of the Team USA Seeking Redemption? Shams Charania Reveals Alternatives if the Claw Is Out

The 2024 USA Men’s Olympics basketball roster is about to be finalized. 11 out of the 12 possible spots have been confirmed and speculations are rife about the final name in the loaded squad. On ‘Run It Back’ podcast, co-host Shams Charania touched upon the possibilities regarding the last player to be named on the Olympics team. While the NBA analyst seemed sure of Kawhi Leonard getting the last spot, he also revealed his other picks, in case the forward remains unavailable. 

The Clippers star has missed the last eight regular season games due to knee inflammation. Though his status is still up in the air for the first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks, Charania stated that he will be an automatic pick for the last spot of the Olympics roster, provided he gets healthy,

“I’m told this is Kawhi Leonard’s spot, this vacant spot is Kawhi Leonard if he is healthy, if he wants to play at Team USA. He’s someone both LeBron James and Kevin Durant want to see at Team USA.”

Considering Claw’s unclear injury status, Charania named Paolo Banchero, Jalen Brunson, and Paul George as contenders for the final spot in the roster. Further, the NBA insider also touched upon Tyrese Haliburton’s inclusion in Team USA. He revealed that folks in the league are unsure if Haliburton deserves the spot over De’Aaron Fox and Kyrie Irving,

“There’s still a little bit of debate around the league as to why Tyrese Haliburton over those two guys but that’s the decision US basketball made.”

“They’ve finalized 11 of their 12-man roster, the new four players; Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo, Tyrese Haliburton, and Anthony Davis. That leaves one spot open, I’m told this is Kawhi Leonard’s spot.”@ShamsCharania updates on the Team USA roster #Olympics

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— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 16, 2024

At any rate, Team USA is looking primed for the Gold Medal. They were spurred on after the roster of rising stars failed to capture even a bronze medal during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The OGs have finally decided to show the world who still reigns over the basketball world.

The Avengers assemble!

The men’s basketball team received a lot of flak after losing against much lower-ranked squads during the FIBA 2024 WC. Despite having Anthony Edwards as their leading scorer, the team failed to make sustainable runs in key moments and their perimeter defense left a lot to be desired.

In the aftermath, track and field superstar Noah Lyles mocked USA hoopers for calling themselves “world champions”. He questioned their credentials during an international tournament.

After such comments, USA’s top hoopers LBJ and Stephen Curry vowed to silence the world. With the current roster, their hopes of making a run to the Gold look optimistic. They look loaded from top to bottom whether Kawhi Leonard fills the final roster spot or not. If he does play, the rest of the teams will be in for an even worse time.

The team led by the geniuses of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant looks promising, to say the least. While the star quotient of the squad seems over the top, NBA fans would be hoping for redemption to reclaim their lost respect on the international level.