NBA star Luol Deng is unlikely to play for Great Britain this summer - a decision which could hurt basketball's funding in the United Kingdom.
The Chicago Bulls player said he hopes to rest rather than play for Britain in the EuroBasket, the sport's European Championship.
"I haven't made the decision 100% [but] most likely I'm not [playing]," he told BBC Sport. "I would like to have...a summer - especially the summer coming up - (resting). Last summer I wanted to do the Olympics and I showed how much I wanted to do it.
"But this summer coming up I think I'll tone it down a little more but it doesn't change the fact that I'm with the team. I said that even before the Olympics."
That decision could prove to be a sizeable blow for the sport's hopes of retaining UK Sport funding.
Deng personally wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron when basketball's funding was cut after the Olympics - and the decision was ultimately reversed.
However, any funding beyond the next year is dependant on progress shown by the men's and women's teams - and without their biggest star, Team GB could well struggle among Europe's elite.
Deng, who was in Houston for the NBA All-Star Game, added: "This is not about the team getting the money or not, this is my decision. We have a lot of good players on the team to still be successful and we're in a good position. I fully trust in the guys.
"The funding is not just for me to play, the funding is more for the youth and expanding the game."
