Batum, Gobert, Fournier, Mahinmi withdraw from France's Olympic qualifier

The French national team will be hard-pressed to earn an Olympic berth for this summer's Games in Rio, as four of their top players have withdrawn from consideration for the team's upcoming qualifying event in Manila.

None of Nicolas Batum, Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, or Ian Mahinmi will play in the tournament.

All four players share the same agent (Bouna Ndiaye) and Batum, Fournier, and Mahinmi will all be free agents this summer. The tournament begins July 5, and free agents can't officially sign until July 7, making the possibility of injury a major financial risk. All three are also coming off career years. Ndiaye announced that they would not play the qualifier in an interview with France TV Sport on Sunday.

Gobert, who missed time with an MCL sprain this season, had announced his own withdrawal late in April, saying: "This season I had several injuries, so the (Utah) Jazz want me to stay in Salt Lake in June to work on my body."

Gobert added that if France wins the qualifier, he'll be available to play in Rio. It's unclear whether that applies to the other three.

Those key absences should open the door for another team in the tournament - namely Canada or Turkey - to book an Olympic spot.

- With h/t to PBT