Steph Curry: 'The Game Needs' Kawhi Leonard; Clippers Star 'an All-Time Great Player'

Stephen Curry commented on Kawhi Leonard dropping out of Team USA's Olympic push Wednesday night, saying the game of basketball "needs" a healthy version of the Los Angeles Clippers star.

"Kawhi gave it everything he had when he was preparing and those last three days of camp there was, you know, conversation mutually between USAB leadership and Kawhi and his team just to make sure he was set up for success," Curry said (6:11 mark). "I mean, obviously they're tough decisions and I know he wanted to play, but it's one of those things where, you know, he wishes luck and wanted us to go get the goal. And you love that kind of support from a guy that's in a tough situation like that. But, hopefully for the long term, you know, he's in a good place because the game needs him. And when he's not out there, you know, you miss an all-time great player."

Team USA announced Leonard would drop out of the Summer Olympics on Wednesday after he spent the last few weeks ramping up his activity as he attempts to work through continued knee issues. A day earlier, Leonard said he expected to play in the United States' exhibition game against Canada.

Team USA coach Steve Kerr said Leonard's performance had been "up and down" in practices leading up to the game.

"The first day he was moving well early, not so much later, and it makes perfect sense because he's coming off that injury," Kerr told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. "The tricky part here is that you have an accelerated timeline for preparation. So, that's what we have to determine and he has to help us determine. Can with this accelerated timeline — can he be at his best a couple of weeks from now when this thing starts?"

Leonard has spent the last seven seasons dealing with near-constant injury issues. He played in 68 regular-season games for the Los Angeles Clippers last season—his most since 2016-17—but wound up breaking down just before the start of the playoffs. The Clippers were eliminated in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks, with a limited Leonard playing in only two games.

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White replaced Leonard on the Olympic squad.