Boston Celtics Legend's Heartfelt Reaction to Kawhi Leonard News

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce shared a message for Kawhi Leonard

LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) warms up before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the LA Clippers during game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

When it comes to injuries, no modern superstar has had it worse than Kawhi Leonard. After rehabbing a torn ACL and a torn meniscus, it was revealed that Leonard would start the season out indefinitely again due to knee rehab.

Leonard's injury caused a major uproar online, with some even calling for his retirement. Among those was Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce, but unlike others, Pierce had a very heartfelt statement for Leonard.

During an episode of Speak on FS1, Pierce shared his reaction to the unfortunate Kawhi Leonard news.

"When I heard the news I wasn't shocked," Pierce said. "I mean, we saw him try to come back this summer for the USA. That got cut short, they sent him home. Now, we got to start a training camp. It's almost to the point where like, I'm really more concerned, and this is like out of love for Kawhi."

.@paulpierce34: Kawhi should consider retiring, 🏀💯 pic.twitter.com/vnRW5JK8My

— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) October 18, 2024

While Paul Pierce thinks Kawhi Leonard should seriously consider retirement, he's coming from a place of empathy. Pierce feels awful for the amount of rehab that Leonard has had to go through over the years.

"Because, you hate to see one of your brethren's down, you know former NBA players," Pierce said. "You hate to see them go through this pain, these injuries and stuff, and it's almost to the point to like man, it might be time for Kawhi to wrap it up. Like seriously. He's dealt with injuries, you know since 2017 Kawhi has missed over 250 games. Like, that's a lot. That's a lot."

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is expected to be sidelined for indefinite period of time to start the NBA season as he rehabilitates the inflammation in his right knee, league sources tell me and @NotoriousOHM. pic.twitter.com/M5wFYIWGiv

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 17, 2024

Last season, Kawhi Leonard played the most amount of games that he's played since the 2017 NBA season. While it seemed like last season was finally going to be the year that Kawhi Leonard would have a healthy playoff run, he ultimately got injured again.

"He played a lot of games last season," Pierce said. "He played I believe 68 games, which is the most he's played in quite some time. But then the playoffs come, another injury. So, it gets to the point to where you're like...well, here we go again."

As it stands, the LA Clippers have to play an unforeseen amount of time without Kawhi Leonard again. This isn't anything new for the players on the team, but it's rough timing from the standpoint of the new Intuit Dome arena debuting.

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