Kevin Love. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
NBA star Kevin Love has withdrawn from the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team, saying he's not at his "absolute peak performance" following a calf injury, ESPN reported Friday.
Why it matters: It's the latest blow to USA Basketball, which announced Thursday that Bradley Beal will miss the Tokyo Games after being placed under coronavirus health and safety protocols.
- Jerami Grant has also been put under the COVID protocols "out of an abundance of caution," but has not tested positive for the virus.
- USA Basketball announced its exhibition game with Australia scheduled for Friday has been canceled.
What he's saying: "I am incredibly disappointed to not be heading to Tokyo with Team USA, but you need to be at absolute peak performance to compete at the Olympic level and I am just not there yet," Love, a forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers, shared in a statement to ESPN.
- His right calf injury kept him out of 46 games during this NBA season, ESPN.
Flashback: Love was on the gold-medal winning team at the 2012 London Games.