Kawhi Leonard’s Mysterious Video Sparks Hope for Clippers Fans
On December 27, Kawhi Leonard, the enigmatic star of the LA Clippers, released a video across social media that was as well-produced as it was cryptic. The video opens with Leonard driving up to a serene lake, his car radio playing a message from someone urging him to juggle his many responsibilities: recovery, family, media engagements. Leonard, seemingly seeking solace, looks down at his phone, which disrupts his peaceful retreat.
As the voicemail continues, Leonard steps out of the car and approaches a fisherman by the lake. The fisherman, sitting next to a white bucket containing a basketball and a small stereo, casts his line into the water. The radio hums with excitement, announcing, “We’ve got exciting news coming out of Los Angeles. Kawhi Leonard looks to be returning to the court pretty soon. Could be great …”
Leonard greets the fisherman, who is revealed to be another version of himself, with the words, “I knew I could find you here. You catch anything?” The fisherman, under a bucket hat, replies, “Nah, not yet. There’s been good days. There’s been bad days. But I keep coming back. It’s the nature of the game.”
This ad was designed to stir the pot, and it certainly did. It reminded everyone that Leonard was still around, working diligently behind the scenes, and potentially making a comeback after nearly four months away due to his latest right knee injury. However, given Leonard’s history of injuries during his six years with the Clippers, it was hard to gauge the true state of his health or how long his return would last.
Fast forward a week, and Leonard made his much-anticipated return. In the 37 games he played until the end of the season, the Clippers went 26-11, a 58-win pace, climbing from sixth in the competitive Western Conference to tie for the third-best record. Leonard averaged 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and nearly 2 steals, shooting 41% from 3-point range.
Leonard has been nothing short of electric, especially in the first two games of the playoffs. His performance in LA’s 105-102 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series was reminiscent of his efficient, devastating brilliance during the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 championship run. Leonard scored 39 points on 15-for-19 shooting, even against the swarming Nuggets defense.
Denver star Nikola Jokic commented on Leonard’s performance, saying, “He made tough shots. But are they really tough shots for him, a guy who’s been making those for such a long time?”
Through two games in this series, Leonard is averaging 30.5 points on 71% shooting (24-for-34), including 50% on 3-point attempts (5-for-10). He has been equally dominant defensively. In Game 1, he held opponents to 2-of-5 (40%) from the field as the primary defender. In Game 2, Leonard held opponents to 2-of-12 (16.7%).
For the Clippers, this is the Leonard they envisioned when they signed him six years ago. However, he has played in only 266 of a possible 492 regular-season games (54%) since joining the team in one of the biggest free-agent coups in recent NBA history. His injuries have often come at the most inopportune times, right after stretches of brilliant play that gave the Clippers hope, and right at the most crucial times of the year—the playoffs—when he has historically been at his best.
In 2021, Leonard tore an ACL in a second-round series against the Utah Jazz. The Clippers managed to finish the series without him but fell short against the Phoenix Suns in the conference finals. In 2023, he tore a meniscus in the first round. Last season, he attempted to play in LA’s first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks, but his knee inflammation didn’t respond well to treatment, forcing the team to shut him down.
These injuries and the Clippers’ cautious approach to managing Leonard’s health have largely defined his story, turning his career into one of the greatest what-ifs in modern league history. When Paul George left as a free agent last summer, it seemed like the end of that story.
But the video Leonard posted on December 27 offered a new narrative, one that people might not have been ready to hear at the time, and one the Clippers and their fans might still be wary of fully embracing. “I keep coming back,” Leonard said in the video. It’s a simple message, but it carries a lot of weight. Leonard’s teammate James Harden hopes Leonard starts getting more credit for his resilience. “He loves to hoop,” Harden said.
Harden explained that if Leonard didn’t love the game, he wouldn’t endure the endless hours of rehabilitation, strengthening, and conditioning required to return from the type of injuries he’s faced over the years. “I feel like that about everybody that’s in the league that goes through something that is out of their hands, where they can’t control, it’s always the negative,” Harden said. “That’s something we got to live with, I guess, in the world. But as for me, being close to him every single day and seeing the work that he puts in, you appreciate him.”
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue hopes people see this side of Leonard now that he’s back to peak form, just in time for a playoff run. “This is what Kawhi lives for,” Lue said. “He’s healthy for the playoffs, and we know when we got a healthy Kawhi, we can win any series.”
Of course, there’s no telling how long Leonard can maintain this level of play. He and the Clippers have been diligent and disciplined in their approach to building him up this season, completely ignoring any public or private pressure for him to return sooner from an offseason cleanup surgery. This approach contrasts with last season when the Clippers and Leonard faced pressure from the league’s new player participation policy and 65-game minimum for league awards.
This year, the priority was getting Leonard to the end of the season healthy and in peak condition for a playoff run. He sat out the first four months of the season, gradually building strength and clearing benchmarks before attempting more. When he finally returned in early January, the Clippers imposed strict minute limits, even keeping him out of closing lineups. While this might seem frustrating to outsiders, Leonard’s knee issues necessitate it. It’s not just one injury he’s recovering from—it’s all of them. Each injury leaves inflammation and scar tissue, creating a cumulative effect.
Leonard has “good days and bad days,” as he says in the video. Nothing about his knees is predictable. “It’s the nature of the game,” he says. Leonard has learned to live with that uncertainty. “I’m just happy to be able to move,” he said after Game 2. The challenge for everyone else is to accept that too.
“I sat and watched these playoff games and series the past two years,” Leonard said. “So being able to be front-line out there, it just feels good for me no matter which way the game goes. That’s what I’m taking pride in. I just want to be out there and play and be on the front line with my team.”
A week after posting the first video at the lake, Leonard released part two. Carrying a tackle box and a fishing rod, he walks toward the shoreline. Birds fly and chirp overhead. The stereo is on. “When is he going to play? … Is he really hurt? What’s going on here?”
“You hear them?” Leonard asks. “They like to come and watch the fun—and chirp. But when I show up, they always quiet.”
Originally Written by: Ramona Shelburne
