Paul Pierce drops blunt opinion Kawhi Leonard amid Clippers star’s injury
The Los Angeles Clippers received bad news this week when it was revealed that Kawhi Leonard would be unavailable for the season opener due to injury .
It's been an unfortunate set of circumstances for the Clippers and Leonard the past couple of seasons with Leonard being limited during the team's past two playoff runs. He was expected to be a part of Team USA during the Olympics this past summer, but was ultimately taken out of consideration due to injury concerns.
The recent prognosis has had some, including former NBA player Kendrick Perkins, suggesting that Kawhi Leonard should retire due to his ongoing injury issues. And now, former NBA star Paul Pierce is joining that conversation. During a recent segment of the FS1 show, 'Speak,' Pierce gave his reasons as to why he believes retirement is best for Leonard.
"When I heard the news, I wasn't shocked. . .It's almost to the point where I'm really more concerned, and this is out of love for Kawhi, because you hate to see one of your brothers down. . .you hate to see him go through this pain," Pierce said. "It's almost to the point to, it might be time for Kawhi to wrap it up, seriously. . .In my eyes, I really think he should start considering retirement."
Kawhi Leonard's injury history with Clippers
When the Clippers paired Kawhi Leonard with Paul George in 2019, they had visions of a future that included a championship. But that year, interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and culminating in the bubble, was the only healthy run he's had with the team.
The following year, Leonard suffered a torn ACL during the playoffs that ended up sidelined him for the entirety of the 2021-22 season. The 2022-23 season was an up and down year of him being in and out of the lineup, culminated in him suffering a torn meniscus during the Clippers first round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns.
Last season, he did manage to suit up in the most number of games he's played (68) since the 2016-17 season, but knee inflammation kept him out of the final eight games of the regular season while limiting him in the playoffs. He missed Game 1 against the Dallas Mavericks, made a return for Games 2 and 3 but was severely hampered, then missed the rest of the series.
Leonard signed a contract extension with the Clippers this past January for three years and $153 million.
