(Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
In pro sports, it isn’t enough at the end of the day to be a superstar player in the regular season — one must also be a superstar during the playoffs.
Another important aspect of being a superstar is being available most of the time — there’s an old saying that one’s best ability is availability.
Kawhi Leonard, despite his great skills, has failed in those departments, at least since joining the Los Angeles Clippers.
He has withdrawn from Team USA prior to the 2024 Summer Olympics because the Clippers want him to spend this summer recovering from a knee injury and preparing for the upcoming NBA season, and that has enticed some sharp criticism from ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.
Smith called Leonard “the worst superstar anybody could ever have” because of his inability to stay healthy, especially when it matters most, via “The OGs Show.”
Stephen A. Smith calls Kawhi the ‘worst superstar anybody could ever have’
Watch full episode here: https://t.co/znw620d9Xl pic.twitter.com/ZbZ0FTB9TI
— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) July 10, 2024
Leonard is a two-time NBA champion and an NBA Finals MVP, but over the past several years, he has gone from a rising star to an enigmatic one.
Many felt the Clippers would inevitably win a world championship when Leonard and Paul George joined them prior to the 2019-20 NBA season, but Leonard has suffered injury after injury since then.
He has missed multiple postseason games in each of the past four years, and not coincidentally, all the Clippers have to show for the Leonard-George pairing is one trip to the Western Conference Finals (in 2021).
This offseason, George left to join the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency, and now one has to wonder if the Clippers will even make the playoffs this coming season, especially if Leonard’s health woes continue.
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