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Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah will not play for France at the London Olympics because of the left ankle injury he sustained during the NBA playoffs. Noah told L’Equipe he was “absolutely not ready. Not ready to run, not ready to jump.”
The 12 players who will represent France are to be announced Thursday.
Noah severely sprained his left ankle in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Philadelphia 76ers in early May. He has been rehabbing outside of Los Angeles with his personal trainer Alex Perris, but the pair did not feel comfortable with the idea of playing on an ankle that is still not 100 percent.
“Now that the Olympics are out of the picture, it gives his ankle more time to heal naturally,” Perris said in a text message to ESPNChicago.com. “We will be training in New York City and Los Angeles, focusing on speed, explosion and power.”
— Reported by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago
