Kawhi Leonard: "My plan is to go" to Tokyo Olympics

Two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard said he's ready to make his Olympic debut this summer at the basketball tournament in Tokyo.

"Right now my plan is to go," the Los Angeles Clippers player told reporters during a virtual press conference after the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta.

"If I feel up to it and feel ready to go around that time then I'm going to play," he added, saying that his decision won't be influenced by his team's performance in the NBA.

Leonard has the chance to reunite with his former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who will serve as head coach at the Games for the first time.

The 29-year-old never represented Team USA at the Olympics and is one of the names included in a preliminary pool of 44 players, from which the final team will be selected.

The player pool is expected to be increased to around 60 finalists and will be released by USA Basketball in the coming weeks.

Leonard has been playing with the US team since 2012, but never featured at a major tournament.

"I think a lot of people were in for 2020 but just the pandemic killed pretty much everything," the Los Angeles native said when asked about the Olympics.

If he makes the final team, the two-time NBA Finals MVP might have a tight schedule with the potential game-7 of the NBA Finals currently scheduled for 22 July and Team USA playing their first game against France on 25 July.

The USA were drawn in Group B of the men's Olympic tournament with Iran, France and the team that wins the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Victoria, Canada at the end of June.

Here are the top five things to know about Olympic basketball at the Tokyo Games in the summer of 2021.