Lakers' Kyle Kuzma Ruled Out World Cup for Team USA After Suffering Ankle Injury
By Parker White
After many of the NBA's notable stars backed out of the Team USA squad for the World Cup, Gregg Popovich and Co. were left with arguably the weakest pool of players in the national team's history.
The 12-man roster for the men's squad was finalized on Saturday, and with 13 players vying to make team, someone was bound to be left out. Well, Popovich didn't end up having to make a decision, as an injury to Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma ruled him out for the tournament.
USA Basketball announces that Kyle Kuzma's ankle injury will rule him out of the @FIBAWC and the roster is now set
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 24, 2019
Unless there's another player who drops out or has to leave due to an injury, the roster they'll send to China for the FIBA Basketball World Cup that begins on August 31 is set.
The roster includes the likes of Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell.
? 2019 USA Men’s World Cup Team roster announced#FIBAWC x #USAGotGamehttps://t.co/MjsW7mlvaT
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 24, 2019
While it would've been a great experience for Kuzma to compete on an international stage, his health heading into the upcoming season was far more important to him and the Lakers.
Kuzma's ankle injury is nothing serious, as he's battling through soreness, but there's no point in him pushing the envelope for the national team.