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NBA Legend Julius Erving Shares Unexpected Kawhi Leonard Criticism

LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has missed all season with right knee injury recovery.

Joey Linn

Dec 23, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center.
Dec 23, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
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LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is nearing a return from injury. Having been sidelined all season with right knee injury recovery, Leonard has progressed to five-on-five practice and has been moving well, per Clippers head coach Ty Lue.

Due to his injury history, the Clippers are always going to be extra cautious with Leonard and his health. While the term “load management” has been mostly phased out by the NBA, with terms like “injury recovery” and “injury management” replacing it, many still take issue with how teams approach this situation.

The Leonard situation is much different than what would be considered standard load management, as he underwent an offseason procedure to address his knee inflammation that sidelined him last postseason. That said, one NBA legend recently spoke on why he no longer views Leonard the same way he once did.

Kawhi Leonard
Dec 4, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard watches from the bench during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Intuit Dome. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Appearing on the Come and Talk 2 Me podcast, NBA legend Julius Erving spoke on Leonard.

“Load management has messed me up because Kawhi Leonard was my guy," Erving said. "San Antonio, Toronto, I’m in Kawhi’s corner... And then this load management stuff happened, and he’s playing like every fourth game. I’m like, what the hell happened to my guy? What happened to 82 games?”

As is often the case with this conversation, Erving is being a bit hyperbolic here. While Leonard has utilized load management at times, the vast majority of his missed time has been caused by legitimate injuries. Additionally, the load management has also been due to these injuries and ensuring they do not reenter the picture.

Erving said he spent some time with Leonard during the NBA’s 75th anniversary celebration, and has been publicly supportive of the Clippers star.

"Kawhi is my favorite NBA player," Erving told Clippers on SI in August, 2022. "Absolutely."

While it’s understandable for NBA legends like Erving to dislike how certain players are handled from a workload standpoint, the Leonard case is often one the gets discussed unfairly.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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