One of the best frontcourt players in the NBA will not be participating in Rio at the 2016 Summer Olympics. San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge has pulled his name from consideration.
ESPN sources say Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge, due to a recent finger/hand injury, has also removed himself from Olympic consideration.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 6, 2016
Monday has been a busy day in regards to Olympic participation. Aldridge will be joined on the sidelines by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who withdrew his name, citing injury concerns. USA Basketball was buoyed by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant declaring that he’s still planning on playing.
Playing in the Olympics is something that should be an honor, especially for those who’ve never done it, like both Curry and Aldridge.
With that said, it’s not something that anyone should be taking a chance on. A player’s first commitment has to be looking out for the best interests of himself and his family. That means that his first loyalty needs to be to the team that pays him, which in this case is the Spurs.
The Olympics would certainly be a great experience for Aldridge. But if he went to Rio and further aggravated his hand injury, even if only in a fairly minor way, then he could potentially be limiting his availability to his employer.
Team USA will miss Aldridge, just like it will miss Curry. But both men are doing the right thing.