Kawhi Leonard Opens Up About 'Devastating' Injury in 2021 Playoffs

LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is happy to be back on the court

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While it will take a while before LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is back to playing big minutes on a regular basis, the star forward is just thankful to be playing basketball again. In an exclusive interview with Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports, Leonard revealed the devastating nature of his injury, not just physically, but mentally as well.

"It was just devastating getting hurt in that period of time, in the playoffs, when you're on a good run," Leonard told Rohlin. When asked if the mental anguish of being sidelined was worse than the physical pain of his injury, Leonard said, "It was. I found ways to stay away and just take it one day at a time and make sure my knee was good for this year. I just tried to take it for what it was. I was able to spend more time with my kids and see them every day."

Sidelined midway through one of the most dominant individual playoff runs in NBA history, Leonard struggled to accept that reality. Combined with his team's pursuit of their first championship in franchise history, and it was an incredibly deflating blow.

Now ramping his way up to where he once was, Leonard is happy to be playing basketball again. It will take a while before he is back where he was in 2021, but having Kawhi Leonard back on the court is great for the game.

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