“Kevin Love needs to be replaced by Deandre Ayton”: Jalen Rose calls the Cavs star’s inclusion in the 2021 Olympics roster pandering to USA’s white majority

Jalen Rose says the only reason Team USA Basketball has included Kevin Love in its Tokyo Olympics roster is for white representation.

The buildup to Tokyo 2021 has seen many NBA superstars commit to the national team program. Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard are 2 superstars who committed to Team USA for this Olympics earlier this month.

Young stars like Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Zach LaVine and Bam Adebayo have also been finalized to the roster. Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Kevin Love, Bradley Beal and Draymond Green are in the team for veteran presence. Jerami Grant rounds out the 12-man roster.

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11 of these players have had All-Star, All-NBA caliber years. They are on the roster based on their performances over the past year. You cannot reasonably make the same case for Kevin Love based on his season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Kevin Love needs to be replaced by Deandre Ayton”: Jalen Rose

That is indeed what is irking Jalen Rose so much as he hunkers down and explains what exactly has led to Greg Popovich and his assistants choosing Kevin Love:

“Kevin Love is on the team because of tokenism. Don’t be scared to make an all-Black team representing the United States of America. I’m disappointed by that.”

“Anybody that watched the league this year knows Kevin Love did not have a stellar season. He was not the best player on his team and did not necessarily deserve to be on this squad.”

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“I’m not gonna take him off the squad and not put somebody else on it. I’m gonna tell you whose spot that should be. That should be a young man that was born in the Bahamas, that as a McDonald’s All-American played in high school and college in Phoenix, Arizona.”

“Deandre Ayton should have Kevin Love’s spot. And I’m disappointed in Team USA for not having the courage to send an all-Black team to the Olympics.”