Blake Griffin punch won’t affect Olympic team chances

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said Blake Griffin’s off-court incident will not affect his Olympic team chances.

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo says Blake Griffin’s off-court incident will not affect his chances of making the 2016 Olympic team, Colangelo told reporters at a USA basketball press conference.

In late January, Griffin fractured his right hand after punching Clippers equipment manager Matias Testi. Griffin has still not returned from the injury, which was initially believed to take 4–6 weeks to heal. 

Griffin’s hasn’t played for the Clippers since Christmas Day, when he injured his hamstring before the punch. Los Angeles is 24–8 without its star forward. 

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Griffin has never played for Team USA. He was with the team before the 2012 Olympics, but had to bow out due to a knee injury.