Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game in Denver for personal reasons, the team announced today.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Leonard is away from the Clippers to be with family in the Los Angeles area who were forced to evacuate due to the ongoing wildfires.
Leonard made his season debut on Saturday after missing the first two-plus months of 2024/25 while recovering from an offseason procedure on his right knee.
The star forward scored 12 points, made three 3-pointers, and was a plus-22 in Saturday’s win over Atlanta. However, he struggled in his second outing on Monday in Minnesota — he scored just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting and was a minus-17 in the two-point loss.
It’s unclear whether Leonard’s absence will extend beyond Wednesday or whether the wildfires will force the NBA to make any adjustments to the Clippers’ upcoming schedule. The club is scheduled to host the Hornets on Saturday to begin a three-game home stand.
Don’t want to be too harsh on Kawhi, that’s scary stuff going on. That said, are there not other Clippers players whose families live in the area that are not missing game action?
Nope. Welcome to the NBA. Most players do not live in the city the team they play on is located in, they stay in luxury rental apartments or hotels, with very few personal possessions.
Kawhi is more LA than just about any NBA player, it makes perfect sense. Bad luck and horrible situation overall.
Davey can you please give us your source for this information? Im very curious to know how you’ve gotten this information.
Davey J sources come from between his ears. I.e Steph most clutch player most buzzer beaters of all time lol.
The LA area is a series of valleys. So it is likely that whaever valleys are affected are very specific. Therefor my guess would be that the other players’ families are actually unaffected.
Other players may live in the area but apparently from what I’ve read his home had to be evacuated. He’s doing what he should be, he’s with his kids.