First Kawhi Leonard‘s withdrawal and then selecting Derrick White over Jaylen Brown — controversies have recently surrounded Team USA. Notably, the initial reports of Leonard’s departure from the Olympics roster mentioned the move as a joint decision on Team USA and the Los Angeles Clippers’ end because of The Klaw‘s knee injury last season. However, Clippers President Lawrence Frank has now stated the decision is completely on Team USA. In fact, he stated both his franchise and Leonard wanted him to play at the Olympics.

Amid all of this, Leonard was facing criticism for withdrawing from the team despite injury not being the reason. But the 6x All-Star has now received Jeff Teague’s support as the clouds of controversies loom over Team USA. “And my knee ain’t even 100% really, like, I really. I’m chilling, bro. You got it,” the 2001 NBA champ said on the Club 520 podcast.

His co-host pointed out how Leonard pulled up for the summer camp for three days and then rode back, so he basically did what he wanted to. “And I love it. He stand on business. He do whatever he want. I love that,” Teague further added. It is worth mentioning that earlier, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas had criticized USA Basketball for not revealing complete information on Leonard’s reason for not playing.

The USABMNT’s report had previously stated, “Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the past several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas. He thought he was prepared to fight.” However, Gil, on his podcast, countered this report by referring to pictures posted by the Clippers’ journalist Joey Linn. The photos featured the 2x NBA champ having a good time on his Costa Rica trip.

“Over the course of the last few weeks? Who has he trained with for USA Basketball? We knew he was on vacation. In Costa Rica, we managed to catch him lounging. So for a couple of weeks? You’re lying,” Arenas said. But before this controversy could settle down, a new one emerged, with Derrick White being chosen over Jaylen Brown.

What is the controversy around Derrick White replacing Kawhi Leonard?

The discussion emerged on the Club 520 Podcast as well, with the opinion that the reason Brown is not on the USA Team is because of marketing and brand situations. Questions on White’s eligibility and requirements on the team were also put into question. However, some crew members of the podcast believe White could provide an Andre Iguodala-like contribution to the team.

But the controversy around White over Brown is bigger than just eligibility issues. The speculations are that since Brown has criticized Nike in the past; the brand is involved in Brown not making it to the Olympics roster. Notably, Nike is a key sponsor for the USA’s basketball team. On being asked about the possibility of a foul play on Nike’s end, even Jaylen has raised suspicion. “I do for sure. There will be more stuff to come with that. As of now, I’m not gonna comment on it,” he said.

Apart from this, the contradiction in Clippers’ President Lawrence and USA Basketball’s statements also raises doubt. Kawhi Leonard was once involved in a legal battle with Nike over the copyright ownership of the ‘Klaw’ logo. Amid all such circumstances, developments in Team USA’s roster have raised many eyebrows.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.