It took less than 24 hours for the Los Angeles Clippers’ exit to get worse. Reportedly, star striker Kawhi Leonard has torn the meniscus in his right knee.
Leonard’s injury was discovered prior to Game 3 and caused him to miss the final three games of the Clippers’ playoff series against the Phoenix Suns. The Clippers lost the series in five games.
Leonard put up strong numbers in the first two games of the series, scoring 38 points in the Game 1 win and 31 points in the Game 2 loss.
It is unclear how long Leonard, 31, will be sidelined with the injury.
Kawhi Leonard has a troublesome history with his right knee
Leonard’s right knee has caused him problems several times during his career. In 2021, Leonard tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee. He missed the entire 2021-22 NBA season while recovering from an injury.
Prior to that, Leonard was diagnosed with tendinopathy in his right quadriceps muscle when he was a member of the San Antonio Spurs. The injury limited Leonard to just nine games during the 2017-18 NBA season.
Despite those injuries, Leonard remains an excellent player when healthy. In the three seasons following his tendinopathy diagnosis, Leonard averaged 26.2 points per game and made the All-Star Team each year. He looked strong in his comeback from an ACL injury this season, when he averaged 23.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
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