Stephen A. Smith Gets Brutally Honest About Kawhi Leonard and LA Clippers

The LA Clippers inaugurated their new arena on Wednesday night, but did so without Kawhi Leonard. The star player is out for several weeks due to a knee injury and ongoing rehabilitation. When the Clippers brought Leonard on board in 2019, alongside Paul George, who they traded for that same offseason, Leonard had just led the Toronto Raptors to an NBA Finals victory. The Clippers envisioned this star duo as the key to their championship ambitions for years to come. Although the team has consistently shown promise on the court, the availability of both players has hindered their performance each season. As the franchise revealed their new arena, moving on from sharing with the Los Angeles Lakers, neither George nor Leonard participated in the game. While George is now with the Philadelphia 76ers, Leonard remains inactive.

At this point, Clippers fans are frustrated with Kawhi Leonard’s ongoing availability issues. Analysts often focus on his inability to play rather than his performance on the court, and his legacy seems more defined by injuries than by his two championship titles. After Leonard missed the inaugural game at the Intuit Dome, the Clippers’ new arena, Stephen A. Smith expressed his strong opinions about the LA star on ESPN’s “First Take.” Smith stated, “I can make a legitimate argument that Kawhi Leonard is the worst superstar in the history of any sport.” He acknowledged that Leonard is a top-five player when healthy, but his lack of availability is why he feels this way. Prior to making that assertion, Smith ranted about the high demands Leonard had before joining the team and how he has negatively impacted the franchise. The Clippers invested heavily in Leonard, and so far, it hasn’t worked out for them.