Kawhi Leonard will not take the court for the Los Angeles Clippers as the NBA season begins due to ongoing rehabilitation from inflammation in his right knee, according to a report by Shams Charania of ESPN.
Leonard is expected to be out for an indefinite period as he continues to recover. He missed the entire preseason, which wraps up with a game against Sacramento on Thursday night, and has not engaged in any on-court contact during training camp.
The Clippers have not provided a comment regarding Leonard’s status.
At the beginning of training camp, Leonard mentioned that he hoped to be in the lineup for opening night if his knee allowed. “I never plan to miss games, but it’s just about my body,” he stated last month. “I’m a human being and we’re playing basketball.”
He has been focusing on stabilizing his knee with the goal of being ready for any postseason action. Last season, he missed the final eight games and played just two in a first-round playoff exit against Dallas.
Leonard emphasized, “There’s some stuff we can do or try to do to make me last. We’ll see what happens.”
In the regular season, Leonard played 68 games, which was his highest total as a Clipper, before missing the last eight due to knee issues. The 33-year-old initially encountered inflammation in his surgically repaired knee on March 31.
In January, he signed a three-year, $52 million extension with the Clippers. However, injuries have limited his postseason participation for the last four years.
He also opted out of playing for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics, deciding to focus on his preparation for the upcoming NBA season. Although USA Basketball concluded that it would be better for him not to participate, the Clippers stated they were supportive of him playing. Leonard was practicing with Team USA before being replaced by Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, as the U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.
Leonard previously missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL in his right knee and has been absent for 179 of the 435 games since he joined the Clippers in 2019.
The Clippers are set to begin their season on October 23 against Phoenix in their new arena in Inglewood.