With a little less than two weeks before the start of Team USA's minicamp in Las Vegas, both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have withdrawn from consideration for the Men's National Team roster schedule to compete at the FIBA World Cup later this summer in China. Lillard and McCollum join a growing number of players, including Anthony Davis, James Harden and Tobias Harris, who have declined to make themselves available for the 2019 FIBA Worlds.
While playing for your national team, especially a team that is always the prohibitive favorite to come away with the gold, is typically a sought-after opportunity for NBA players, there are various reasons, both general and situational, why one would decline to participate.