Leonard’s coach on the Clippers, Tyronn Lue, is an assistant coach for Team USA. Leonard’s knee caused him to miss the last eight games of the regular season and most of the Clippers’ first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. He deals with chronic inflammation from the multiple surgeries he’s had and played in just two playoff games in 2023 due to a torn meniscus. Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season after tearing his ACL during the 2021 playoffs. “I think he wanted to be here like all the guys want to be here,” Hill said. White, 30, a 6-foot-4 guard who can defend taller players and just signed a $125 million contract extension, is coming off an NBA championship run with the Boston Celtics and was on the 2019 U.S. World Cup team. White is the only player on Team USA never to have been an All-Star. He averaged a career-high 15.2 points and shot nearly 40 percent from 3 for the Celtics, and was named a second-team All-Defense player. Shortly after The Athletic first reported the USA roster move, Jaylen Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP and White’s teammate on the Celtics — took issue with being overlooked to replace Leonard and suggested that Nike, a key sponsor of USA Basketball, prevented Brown from being added (Brown is not a Nike-sponsored athlete; White is). Brown is a three-time All-Star and was second-team All-NBA in 2023. “One of the many things that I really love about Derrick, and particularly with this team, is I don’t feel like his role changes much with our team from what he does with the Celtics,” Hill said. “He plays alongside two incredibly great young players, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (in Boston). … To have someone who can come in and play off guys, be complementary to some others, but then also stand out and be a dynamite defensive player, knock down shots, it just impacts winning.” Advertisement Hill did not say specifically why White was chosen over Brown (who, like White, was on the 2019 World Cup team), but he said, “The responsibility that I have is to put together a team and a team that complements each other, a team that fits a team that will, give us the best opportunity for success.” “And, so, you know, whatever theories that might be out there, they’re just that,” Hill said. Team USA is also missing star forward Kevin Durant due to a calf injury. Hill said Durant would accompany the team to Abu Dhabi and is expected to be on the court next week. Required reading