Ex-Clippers Player Has Strong Reaction to Kawhi Leonard Injury Update

LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is still dealing with knee inflammation.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

LA Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank revealed on Tuesday that All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard is still dealing with the knee inflammation that sidelined him during the playoffs.

“His right knee the swelling has significantly gone down, it’s almost gone,” Frank said of Leonard. “He wants to participate in everything in training camp, but we’re going to hold him back from drill work and really focus on strengthening because the goal is to get him at 100 percent so he can have a great season, not just this season but for many years.”

The Athletic reported that Leonard underwent a procedure on his knee earlier this offseason, which is something Frank refused to address when asked in July.

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard underwent a procedure on his knee in the offseason, sources tell me and @LawMurrayTheNU. The franchise said today Leonard will be limited to strengthening his knee to start Clippers training camp, but team officials are optimistic about his progress. pic.twitter.com/VtCvlBEhPf

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 25, 2024

During an episode of Gil’s Arena, former Clippers forward Kenyon Martin shared a strong reaction to this injury update on Leonard, and specifically the idea that he is injury prone.

“I hate that phrase,” Martin said. “I f—king hate that phrase injury prone. I f—king hate that phrase with a passion… No, I f—king played hard. I played hard and I had to get f—king surgery because I played hard. It wasn’t injury prone, I missed games because I played hard. Like, no. [Leonard] works out hard as a motherf—ker.”

Martin added, “Kawhi Leonard, his s—t is deteriorating. He f—king works out too hard.”

Several of Leonard’s current and former teammates have spoken about his work ethic and the intensity of his training. 

There is nothing that suggests Leonard’s training sessions have contributed to his injury issues, especially since his biggest injuries can all be directly tied to specific plays in games, but Martin was attempting to defend the Clippers star from the narrative surrounding him.

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