Stephen A. Smith continued his series of criticisms on Kawhi Leonard on Wednesday morning and had a drastic request for the Clippers in regards to their injured superstar.
“Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers should force Kawhi Leonard to retire,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “I’m done. He needs to go home. It’s over.”
Smith added that he is not questioning the legitimacy of his current injury, noting that he has heard rumors that Leonard has a bad limp. Leonard missed the last three games for Los Angeles with what was said at the time to be a knee sprain in the first round of the playoffs against the Suns, ultimately resulting in his team’s elimination Tuesday night in Game 5 against the Suns.
"Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers should force Kawhi Leonard to retire."
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 26, 2023
—@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/s9fAlG0BFi
It’s worth noting, shortly after Smith’s segment, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Leonard was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee. This all follows Smith’s Monday comments where he doubled down on calling Leonard “one of the worst superstars” the NBA has ever seen, citing his lack of availability in the postseason in recent years and his “load management” during the regular season.
He doubled down right after apologizing for the timing of his initial comments on Friday since he made the scathing remarks the same day Leonard’s sister was sentenced to life in prison for murder. He acknowledged the tragedy again on Wednesday, but still continued to criticize the two-time champion.
“He is the absolute the worst superstar you could possibly have on your team,” Smith said Wednesday. “He’s barely ever there, and on top of it all, he does nothing to market or promote your franchise. Absolutely, positively, nothing.”
