Subscribe
Follow Us
Kobe Bryant is not resentful of the players that pulled out from consideration for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, but rather is understanding of the situations that kept them from participating in this venture. USA Basketball only mustered Kemba Walker as the only member of the roster that had All-NBA honors, a vast difference with teams of the past.
Players like James Harden, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, and Andre Drummond turned down the opportunity to take part in this summer's six-week process.
“Some of those guys haven't had the opportunity to play for the United States, so I'm sure if their health allowed them to, they certainly would've been over here playing,” Bryant told ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
“But a lot of those guys are coming off of serious injuries and trying to figure out how to navigate through that to get healthy again and back to 100%. Other guys are moving, moving to different cities and getting their families to settle in. It's a big adjustment for families, so I certainly understand it.”
While this was true for a significant number of players, many others like Harden, Lillard, Drummond, and others didn't change teams and weren't coming off significant injuries. Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum, who also turned down an invitation to participate, noted some stars skipped taking part in Team USA's training camp given the lackluster talent level at hand, saving themselves the embarrassment.
If that is truly the reason beyond the pull-out epidemic, the United States has more serious problems than a lack of available talent, but a lack of conscience and national pride for the world's most dominant basketball powerhouse.
