Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah will not be competing for France at the London Olympics because of a left ankle injury he sustained during the NBA playoffs.
"I'm absolutely not ready," Noah said in Wednesday's edition of L'Equipe newspaper. "Not ready to run, not ready to jump. And even less to play."
Noah added he would need more time and work to recover completely from the injury that occurred during the NBA playoffs.
"I'm not in the form of someone bidding to compete in the Olympics," he said. "And given the problems that I have with my ankles, not going to the Olympics seemed to be the most reasonable decision."
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.
"I'm just frustrated because I really worked hard on trying to keep my body right. I feel like the ankle injury was unfortunate. I think just going full speed onto somebody's ankle and landing on somebody's foot, that could have happened to anybody. It's frustrating, but nobody died. You learn from it and move on."
Noah remains confident in his teammates and feels they will fare well in London.
"The team is not just me," Noah said. "I know there are other guys who can do a good job."
The 12 players who will represent France are to be announced Thursday. France's Olympic opener is against the United States on July 29.
It's still unclear whether San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker will make the cut after a scratch to his cornea, that occurred in a New York night club in a fight between singer Chris Brown and members of hip-hop star Drake's entourage.
Noah becomes the second Bull to pull out the Olympics because of injury. Derrick Rose had to pull out of the Games because of a torn ACL in his left knee that he suffered in the first game of the playoffs. Luol Deng, who has a torn ligament in his wrist, has been insistent that he will play for Great Britain in the Olympics and continues to put off surgery.
