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Citing physical and emotional reasons, Kevin Durant has announced he withdraws from the US national team and will not be playing in the 2014 basketball World Cup.
Paul George broke his leg in a scrimmage while training for next month’s games in Spain, but Kevin Durant said that had nothing to do with his decision.
However, after watching his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook go through three knee surgeries, and then playing extended minutes because he was out, Kevin Durant may have decided the extra wear on his body and mind would be too much.
Kevin Durant has announced he withdraws from the US national team and will not be playing in the 2014 basketball World Cup (photo Getty Images)
“This was an extremely difficult decision as I take great pride in representing our country,” Kevin Durant said in a statement.
“After going through training camp, I realized I could not fulfill my responsibilities to the team from both a time and energy standpoint. I need to take a step back and take some time away, both mentally and physically in order to prepare for the upcoming NBA season.”
Kevin Durant was third in the league in minutes played last season, averaging 38.5 per game. He was third in minutes played in the playoffs, averaging 42.9.
He is the biggest loss yet for a weakening American squad that will go to Spain without the leading scorer on its past two gold medal winners.
The NBA’s MVP took part in the Americans’ training camp in Las Vegas last week, but then informed team officials that he wasn’t going to continue.
At 6-foot-10, Kevin Durant is big enough to play as a power forward internationally, creating a matchup nightmare for opponents who can’t defend him on the perimeter. He led the tournament in 3-pointers attempted and made in the 2010 worlds.
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President Barack Obama has praised the efforts of the US soccer team in the World Cup in a phone call to two of its star players.
President Barack Obama calling Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard in São Paulo
Despite the US being eliminated from Brazil’s tournament by Belgium, Barack Obama told goalkeeper Tim Howard and team captain Clint Dempsey they had made the nation proud.
“To see the way you guys captured the hearts and the imaginations of the whole country is unbelievable.”
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Millions of Americans stopped work early on Tuesday to watch US soccer team getting edged out of the World Cup by Belgium in a thrilling match in Brazil.
After a string of fine saves from US goalie Tim Howard, Belgium went 2-0 ahead in extra-time. The US then pulled one back to set up a pulsating finale.
Thousands packed public viewing areas across the country, despite a kick-off time of 16:00 EST.
Afterwards, the 2-1 defeat was hailed by many as the best game so far.
Millions of Americans stopped work early on Tuesday to watch US soccer team getting edged out of the World Cup by Belgium
Leaving Soldier’s Field in Chicago, where nearly 30,000 people watched the drama unfold on big screens, fans said they were “heartbroken” but proud of how the team had played.
It was a magnificent defensive effort, as Belgium launched wave after wave of attacks in the second half but each one foundered as American bodies – most often Howard’s – were flung in the way.
As many as 14 million workers were predicted to down tools to watch Tuesday’s game, costing the US economy more than $600 million in lost labor productivity, according to an estimate by Yahoo Finance.
Even President Barack Obama told reporters he had arranged his schedule around the match.
“I thought I’d get the cabinet together this morning, because we all know that America will be busy this afternoon. Go team USA,” the president said.
Large viewing parties were held across the US, including in Chicago, Kansas City and Washington DC.
At Freedom Plaza in Washington, the city government was hosting a viewing party, where viewers grabbed a spot on the stone plaza in the blistering heat hours before the match.
Team USA’s success in progressing through the so-called Group of Death had driven a wave of enthusiasm for soccer, which typically lags far behind American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey in popularity.
Even in Texas, traditionally American football country, soccer has taken a hold.
But not everyone will be tuning in. Despite the increased viewing figures, an NBC News poll suggests six in 10 Americans have very little interest or no interest at all in the World Cup. Only 22% had a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of interest.
The US and Belgium had not played each other in the World Cup since the first tournament in 1930, where the Americans won 3-0.
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Millions of soccer fans in America have stopped work early to watch team USA playing Belgium for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals in Brazil.
The match kicked off at 16:00 on the US east coast, so offices have emptied a little early.
Big screens have been erected in public viewing areas across the country, including at Chicago’s American football stadium.
An estimated 20 million Americans watched the US-Germany game last week.
This time, as many as 14 million workers could down tools to watch Tuesday’s game, costing the US economy more than $600 million in lost labor productivity, according to an estimate by Yahoo Finance.
Millions of soccer fans in America have stopped work early to watch team USA playing Belgium for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals in Brazil
Even President Barack Obama told reporters he had arranged his schedule around the match.
“I thought I’d get the cabinet together this morning, because we all know that America will be busy this afternoon. Go team USA,” he said.
Large viewing parties are planned across the US, including in Chicago, Kansas City and Washington DC.
At Freedom Plaza in Washington, the city government was hosting a viewing party, where viewers grabbed a spot on the stone plaza in the blistering heat hours before the match.
But not everyone will be tuning in. Despite the increased viewing figures, an NBC News poll suggests six in 10 Americans have very little interest or no interest at all in the World Cup. Only 22% had a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of interest.
Team USA’s success thus far – defeating Ghana and drawing Portugal to slip out of the group stage into the last 16 – has driven a wave of enthusiasm for football, which typically lags far behind American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey in popularity.
The US and Belgium have not played each other in the World Cup since the first tournament in 1930, where the Americans won 3-0.
“I’m sure if we play to the best of our ability, we’ll get a positive result,” US captain Clint Dempsey said.
“For some of the guys, it’s the last opportunity, so we have to make the most of it.”
Speaking after the US lost 1-0 to Germany on Thursday, US coach Jurgen Klinsmann said: “We will work … to shift our entire game up forward. So that will put more pressure on the opponents and create more chances.”
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First Lady Michelle Obama had no defence against Olympic wrestler Elena Pirozhkova who decided to pick her up and parade her in front of her fellow athletes.
There was no coercion involved in the hilarious encounter as Michelle Obama was happy to let Elena Pirozhkova show off her strength at the meet-and-greet on Friday.
However, the experienced globe-trotter did seem “nervous” when she was being held by the Olympic hopeful, according to Elena Pirozhkova.
Michelle Obama had no defence against Olympic wrestler Elena Pirozhkova who decided to pick her up and parade her in front of her fellow athletes
Michelle Obama met the wrestlers along with other members of Team USA during a visit to the team’s training camp ahead of the opening ceremony.
During the event at the University of East London, she spoke to 25-year-old Elena Pirozhkova – who had an unusual request for her.
“Even before she made the rounds I thought I can’t just hug her like everybody else,” she said, according to USA Today.
“I hugged her, and then I asked her if I could pick her up. I think she was nervous. I went slow. I just picked her up.
“I wanted to ask her permission. There was security all around. And she gave it. I will only meet her once. I wanted to do something different.”
Her teammate Clarissa Chun captured a photograph of the heart-warming moment and tweeted it with the caption: “Elena picked up the First Lady.”
Elena Pirozhkova, who is 5 foot 5 and around 138 lbs, was born in Russia but moved to Massachusetts at the age of three.
The highlight of her career so far came in the land of her birth, where she won a silver medal at the 2010 World Championships.
