SGA out, Lu Dort in, for Team Canada

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander announced on social media on Thursday that he plans on skipping playing for Team Canada in the Summer Olympics due to not being fully healthy from his plantar fasciitis.

This was talked about as a possibility during exit interviews last week with SGA and Sam Presti. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned that he would not push himself to play this summer if his foot was not fully healthy.

A week later and the answer appears to be that his foot will not be fully healthy by July and August to play high intensity basketball for the first time in four months.

This news is somewhat surprising, as many predicted SGA would be cleared to play by the time the Summer Olympics rolled around. However, that does not appear to be the case as it seems like both the Thunder and Shai want to be as cautious as possible with an injury that could require surgery such as plantar fasciitis if not given the proper time to heal.

The 2021-22 NBA regular season should start around late October as the league tries to bring their yearly schedule back to the pre-COVID calendar. Seven months will have passed between NBA games for SGA if he is cleared to play for the start of the regular season.

Lu Dort was also announced to be among 21 players named to attend training camp for Team Canada. Dort was a near lock to be invited to join the team, so Thunder fans will still have a reason to tune in for Team Canada’s game this summer.

The Summer Olympics are schedule to begin on July 23 and end on August 8 after the event was initially suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.