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 The high-scoring Oklahoma City Thunder forward's withdrawal
follows the loss of the Indiana Pacers' Paul George, who last week
suffered a compound fracture of his right leg when he landed badly
during a team scrimmage.
"This was an extremely difficult decision as I take great pride in
representing our country," Durant, who won gold with the national
team at the London Olympics and at the 2010 world championships,
said in a statement released by USA Basketball.
"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."
USA Basketball chief Jerry Colangelo said Durant reached out to him
and head coach Mike Krzyzewski on Thursday to explain how he felt.
"His well being is the most important thing to us and we support him
taking the time to get ready for next season," said Colangelo.
"He's been part of the national team program for eight years and a
big part of the success we have achieved, and we look forward to him
being part of our success in the future as well."
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Durant was the biggest draw among the 16 players competing for berths on
the 12-man team that will represent the United States in the 24-nation
tournament starting Aug. 30 in Spain.
In recent weeks, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and NBA
Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard have removed themselves from the pool of
players for various reasons.
(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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