Kawhi Leonard Selected For USA Basketball Mini-Camp

By Michael Rehome
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Jun 11, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dunks against Miami Heat shooting guard Ray Allen (34) during game three of the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT

According to Dan McCarney of Spurs Nation, Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard has been selected to the USA Mini Camp that will be held in Las Vegas. Here is the story from SpursNation.

Kawhi Leonard has been officially selected for USA Basketball’s upcoming mini-camp in Las Vegas, the first step in potentially joining the senior team for major international competition.

Leonard, who has played a key in limiting LeBron James during the Finals, is among 27 players invited to attend. The complete list:

Ryan Anderson (New Orleans Pelicans)Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors)Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies)DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings)Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors)Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets)Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz)Paul George (Indiana Pacers)Taj Gibson (Chicago Bulls)Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz)Jrue Holiday (Philadelphia 76ers)Kyrie Irving(Cleveland Cavaliers)DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers)Ty Lawson (Denver Nuggets)Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs)Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)Greg Monroe (Detroit Pistons)Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets)Larry Sanders(Milwaukee Bucks)Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers)Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats)John Wall (Washington Wizards)Tyler Zeller (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Slate for July 22-25, the mini-camp will be overseen by Team USA/Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski with assistance from Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau, New Orlean’s Monty Williams and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim.

Team USA is 62-1 with two Olympic golds and a world championship since overhauling its infrastructure under the watch of chairman Jerry Colangelo. Continuity has been a key, with the establishment of a player pool from which to draw candidates for senior participation.

Eight players from the 2009 mini-camp participated in the 2010 World Championship and/or the 2012 Olympics. This year’s camp kicks off a competition cycle that includes the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain and the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.

Leonard would seem to be a prime candidate for USA duty with his defensive prowess, 3-point shot and team-first attitude. It could come as soon as next summer at the World Cup, a competition the USA won in 2010 with its so-called “B Team” as Olympic staples such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant sat out.

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