Report: Kevin Love declined Team USA invite for Rio Olympics
Fresh off the first NBA title in franchise history, the Cleveland Cavaliers had the opportunity to send two players to this summer's Olympics. One of them opted to stay home.
While Kyrie Irving is manning the point for Team USA in Rio, teammate Kevin Love will be resting up after the longest season of his career as Love declined an invitation to play for the U.S. Olympic team, ESPN's Marc Stein reports.
Love, who was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2012 Games in London, looked worn down by season's end. He averaged just 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds, with an unsightly .362/.263/.706 shooting line, in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
Trade speculation has also dogged Love through the season. In 2014, when he was still a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Love pulled out of the 2014 FIBA World Cup citing uncertainty amidst trade rumors. That summer, he was shipped to the Cavs.