It’s clear that Kawhi Leonard is prepared to resume playing basketball.
On their injury report Friday night, the Los Angeles Clippers moved Leonard from out to questionable, suggesting that he might make his season debut on Saturday when the team hosts the Atlanta Hawks.
The Clippers explained Leonard’s absence as a recuperation from a right knee ailment. Since his appearance in Game 3 of the Clippers’ Western Conference first-round playoff series against Dallas on April 26, he has not played.
He believed he was well enough to play for USA Basketball in the Olympics in Paris this past summer, despite missing 12 of the Clippers’ final 14 games due to inflammation in his right knee last season. After being selected for the Olympic team and sent to training camp in Las Vegas, the Americans sent Leonard home, claiming his knee was not up to the demands of competition, and Derrick White took his position on the squad that would go on to win gold in Paris.
Despite being a two-time NBA champion and a six-time All-Star and All-NBA player, Leonard’s career has been plagued by injury problems. Over the past eight years, he has missed 290 regular-season games, including the whole 2021–22 campaign due to knee issues.
He played in 68 games for the Clippers last season, which was the most since he played in 74 games for San Antonio in 2016–17.
Leonard stated, “This is just my journey,” in reference to his injuries this past summer. “I am unable to provide me with the ideal script. I felt fantastic and attempted to play as much as I could last year, but there came a point when I was unable to go. I did the best I could, but this is only my path. I must continue doing what I do because I inspire many others.
Throughout his career, Leonard, who is on the NBA’s 75th anniversary squad, has averaged 20 points per game.
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