Clippers' Kawhi Leonard still has 'love' for the game of basketball

Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times on Apr 16, 2025

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LOS ANGELES — The joy for the game of basketball remains strong for Kawhi Leonard.

The injuries that have robbed him from playing time have not taken away Leonard's passion for the game. The inability to play this season because of a right knee injury he had to manage has not lessened Leonard's happiness for basketball.

He's 33 and has spent the last five of his 13-year NBA career with the Clippers, and his "love" for the game has only grown.

That is what has motivated Leonard through it all and it's what he will lean on when the Clippers face the Nuggets in Game 1 of the Western Conference playoffs starting Saturday afternoon in Denver.

"I love the game. I love the game and I have a passion for it still. I love to compete out there. So, that's pretty much what drives me back," Leonard said after practice Wednesday. "You know, everything has its ups and downs. You got to go through those in life and you just keep going, really."

This was yet another up-and-down season for Leonard.

He missed the first 34 games and played in just 37, including only one set of back-to-back games.

Yet Leonard never wavered.

That didn't surprise teammate Norman Powell. The two were teammates on the Toronto Raptors team that won the NBA championship in 2019.

Powell saw how Leonard handled things then and now.

"I think we all have love for it," Powell said. "I think everybody's journey and path is different and what they face and what they see and how they feel about it. It's not just him. I feel like it happens a lot with different guys.

"But with him, I know he's a very level-headed person and he understands things that aren't under his control and he just controls the controllable. That's the best attribute about him. He's a gifted basketball player, but his mental fortitude and toughness, on and off the floor, all the things he's been through in his life, everything that he's been through on the floor, makes him who he is. So, I don't think it takes away from his love or enjoyment of the game. I think he sees it as another obstacle he's going to get through and figure it out and that's what I like best about him. He's always figuring it out."

Leonard averaged 21.5 points, 5.9 assists and 3.1 assists per game this season. He shot 49.6% from the field, 41.1% from 3-point range.

In the Clippers' two must-win games to close the regular season, Leonard was a force. He averaged 30.5 points and played 44.5 minutes in wins at Sacramento and Golden State.

In the eyes of Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, that was just another sign of the competitor Leonard is and how much the game means to his star forward.

"Yeah, I mean, it just says a lot about him, about his dedication to the game," Lue said. "I said he's a hard worker. But like I said, we'll continue to keep giving our medical staff a lot of credit. They put him through a lot of stuff and didn't let him shortcut, checked every box before he came back and he's been feeling good. So, I'm happy about that as well."

Leonard missed the final eight regular-season games last season and played in just two of the Clippers' six playoff games against the Mavericks because of right knee inflammation.

He didn't play in his first game with the Clippers this season until Jan. 4 and it has been a slow build-up to get Leonard to this point.

But he's back in the playoffs and ready to play the game he loves.

"I'm just happy that I was able to get here, and my teammates did a great job down that last stretch," Leonard said. "And yeah, just like I said, just don't take the opportunity for granted and try to play my best and that's it. I'm just having fun."