Clippers' Kawhi Leonard labeled 'worst superstar in history' by Stephen A. Smith
10/24/2024 10:47 AM
On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Clippers began a new era. They are no longer sharing a home with their rival Los Angeles Lakers, moving instead to the highly-regarded Intuit Dome. But some of the Clippers’ past demons keep on haunting them. A new season may be upon the Clippers as they begin life in their new arena, but Kawhi Leonard’s old injury woes are still alive and well.
All offseason long, the Clippers have been ambiguous over their reporting of Leonard’s injury. But just as the season was about to begin, reports came out that Leonard is out indefinitely as he continues to rehab from the procedure he had on his knee over the offseason.
Suffice to say, Leonard was not on the court for the Clippers’ 116-113 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns. This sparked even more outrage from some of Leonard’s most ardent critics, with Stephen A. Smith going ballistic on the Clippers star on ESPN’s Thursday morning edition of First Take.
“I’m going to say it for the last time. He is a superstar when he’s healthy. On the basketball court, as far as I’m concerned, a top five player on the planet. [But] I can make a legitimate argument that Kawhi Leonard is the worst superstar in the history of any sport. You can’t have somebody like that and it’s beneficial. Who’s gonna miss work half of the time, and does absolutely nothing to promote your product or your brand. He is the poster child for what not to be as a star in any sport,” Smith said.
.@stephenasmith goes OFF on Kawhi Leonard
"I can make a legitimate argument that Kawhi Leonard is the worst superstar in the history of any sport." pic.twitter.com/0z9ajTalzG
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 24, 2024
Smith did not take too kindly to his observation that Leonard is doing nothing to elevate the Clippers as a franchise, instead choosing to stay in the shadows as his chronic injury problems take their toll. It would be one thing if Leonard was a role player, but for Smith, it just doesn’t sit right with him that he’s getting superstar treatment while failing in his superstar duties.
“This brother gets every perk. Don’t get me started with the private jets and everything like that. I’m not even mad at it if you’re playing. But when you miss half the games, when you miss 15 of the past 19 playoff games, when you’re never healthy when it counts but yet you sit up here and get every perk under the sun, it’s problematic,” Smith added.
Stephen A. Smith blames Kawhi Leonard for the Clippers’ decision to mortgage their future
It’s safe to say that the Clippers are in dire straits, roster-building wise. They have no control of their first-round picks until 2030, with the Oklahoma City Thunder standing to benefit the most from the Clippers’ downfall. Meanwhile, the player the Clippers acquired for those boatload of picks, Paul George, is now playing for the Philadelphia 76ers — another team that has control over LA’s picks.
“Look what you do. You sit up there, you make sure you get your bag. How come you didn’t make sure they gave Paul George his bag so he didn’t have to leave for Philly. How about that? Because you’re the one who compelled them to bring Paul George to Los Angeles to begin with,” Smith said.
At this point, it’s unlikely that Leonard will ever play a whole season again. His knee problems are chronic, and at this point, the best the Clippers can hope for is that he’s healthy for when it matters most as they look to manage his injury problems in the best manner possible.
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