Kawhi Leonard will continue donning the Los Angeles Clippers jersey for the foreseeable future. The Clippers announced on Wednesday that Leonard signed a new extension with the franchise.

The LA team didn’t disclose the financial terms of the agreement, but multiple reports indicate it is a three-year, $153 million deal. Leonard was in the final year of his old contract and had a player option for the 2024-25 season.

“We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with Kawhi,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He is an elite player, a terrific partner, and a relentless worker who knows how to win and makes it his first priority. He elevated our franchise from the moment he arrived. We feel fortunate that Kawhi chose to join the Clippers five years ago, and excited to keep building with him.”

Leonard is enjoying a great season and is the main reason why the Clippers are sitting at No. 4 in the Western Conference with a 23-13 record. The 32-year-old player is currently averaging 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 51.6% from the field. He also managed to avoid injury issues that plagued him in recent seasons, missing only four games so far in 2023-24.

The Clippers are reportedly also looking to sign their other superstar, Paul George, to a new extension. The negotiations are currently underway, and both sides are optimistic about reaching a deal. 

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The Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points to lead his team to a 121-104 win over the Miami Heat at the Crypto.com Arena. This is Leonard’s first game back from a four-game absence after suffering a left hip contusion. In addition, Leonard added six rebounds, five assists, and four steals to push the Clippers over the line.

“You see the performance,” Clippers point guard James Harden said of Leonard. “Both ends of the ball, just elite. Shotmaking, defensively, just being active, creating opportunities in transition. We needed that, [for Leonard] to get well and get better. We missed him.” Playing just 33 minutes against the Heat, Leonard surpassed 13,000 career points during the win.

Now on a three-game winning streak, the Clippers have won 12 of their last 14 games, pushing them up to fourth place on the Western Conference standings. The Clippers next face the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night before taking on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.

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We finally know why Los Angeles Clippers’ superstar Kawhi Leonard only played two games in the first-round series versus the Phoenix Suns. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Leonard’s absence in the remainder of the series was due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. 

Charania reports that Leonard’s injury was revealed after Game 2, prompting the Clippers’ medical staff to shut him down.

Kawhi Leonard delivered a pair of spectacular performances to begin the Suns’ series and even helped the LA team to steal Game 1 on the road. However, the 31-year-old player was ruled out for Game 3 on short notice and never returned to the court despite being designated “day-to-day.”

Without Leonard and already missing their second All-Star in Paul George, the LA Clippers couldn’t do much to keep up with the star-studded Suns. They lost the series in five games and are now heading to the offseason having a lot more questions than answers.    

“It’s always in the back of your mind, ‘What if.’ It’s easy to say, ‘What if,’ because a lot of guys get hurt,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said after the Clippers lost Game 5. “It’s just been our luck the last three years.”

Kawhi Leonard previously missed the entire 2021-22 season while recovering from a partial tear of the ACL in his right knee. He played 52 games in the regular part of the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.

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Kawhi Leonard proved to be recovering well after his long-term injury by helping the Los Angeles Clippers to a 125-118 victory over local rivals Los Angeles Lakers at a sold-out Crypto.com Arena.

Leonard played the entire second half for only the third time in his career, the last time being during Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. He finished Thursday night’s game with 25 points and seven rebounds.

“He said he felt good,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said of Leonard. “He knew how important this win was for us. And so he gave everything he had.”

“I thought I did a good job,” Leonard added, explaining that the trust he was able to put in teammates such as Norman Powell and Bones Hyland helped to make all the difference.

Missing the entirety of last season due to suffering a torn ACL, Leonard played his first consecutive contests last weekend for the first time since incurring his injury.

The post Leonard Shows Strong Recovery To Help Clippers To Vital Win appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a shocking collapse in this year’s playoffs, Los Angeles Clippers decided to make some changes to position themselves in a more successful run in 2020/21. The organization already made a change in the head coaching position and could reportedly follow that by adding a new floor general.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently reported that Clippers’ superstar Kawhi Leonard has requested from the front office to add a point guard in the offseason. According to Smith, Leonard would like to play with a guard that “can run a team and can shoot,” something Clippers lack at the moment.

Clippers have Patrick Beverley at the guard but he isn’t exactly a capable creator or facilitator. Beverley brings energy on the defensive end of the ball but is often a liability on the offense. Backup Lou Williams, on the other hand, is focused too much on scoring and can’t do much in other departments.

If the LA Clippers decide to give Leonard what he wants, they would need to be creative. On the free-agent market, they could go for Slovenian playmaker Goran Dragic, but it is highly unlikely that he would accept mid-level exception money, which is the max the Clippers can offer him.

On the other hand, there is always an option for the Clippers to execute a trade. Beverley and Williams might be moved on, as well as youngster Landry Shamet. Dealing Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrell through sign-and-trade is also a possibility.

The path that Clippers take will also depend on the style of basketball that new head coach Ty Lue wants to play. But something tells us that Leonard’s wishes won’t be disregarded, especially since he can opt-out of his contract after next season.

The post Kawhi Leonard Demands from Clippers to Add a Point Guard appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After criticizing his former player Kawhi Leonard for lack of leadership skills, San Antonio Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Leonard, who now plays for Toronto Raptors, said that he heard about Popovich’s comments and called them “funny.”

“I heard about it. It’s just funny to me because, you know, I don’t know if he’s talking about last year or not, but I guess when you stop playing they forget how you lead,” – Leonard told reporters. “Other than that, it doesn’t matter. I’m here with the Raptors. My focus is on the season and not what’s going on the other side.“

According to Leonard, he is a leader but shows it in another way.

“I lead by example coming into practice every day. Just going hard and coming into these games mentally focused,” – the 27-year-old added.

Although Kawhi Leonard supposed to be the Spurs’ franchise player for years to come, the relationship between him and the organization became fractured after he suffered an injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Leonard and Spurs had disputes over the way his injury should be handled, and the player ended up making a trade request in June 2018.

Leonard ended up being traded to Toronto Raptors alongside Danny Green, in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Pöltl and a protected 2019 first round draft pick.

So far in the 2018-19 season, Kawhi Leonard played 15 games for the Raptors, averaging 24.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

The post Kawhi Leonard Says Gregg Popovich’s Criticism of Him is “Funny” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Kawhi Leonard logged 12 points in his first game as the Raptors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 122-104 on Sunday. Leonard played for 19 minutes and was received to cheers by Toronto fans.

In spite of the loud cheers, Kawhi claimed not to notice the love from Raptors fans, saying he was only having fun with the game.

“It’s going to take time to find my rhythm, but I felt great, Leonard said after the game. “…just having fun.” Concerning the cheers, “I didn’t really notice it,” he said. “I was just locked into the game.”

Coach Nick Nurse admitted Leonard’s debut wasn’t perfect but has high hopes the 27-year-old will find his form once the league commences.

“I think everybody saw Kawhi was shaking off some rust but you can obviously see the level that he has,” Nurse said.

The Raptors will continue with their preseason tour by facing the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors began their preseason tour with a 114-110 defeat to the Timberwolves team that didn’t have Jimmy Butler in it. The 29-year-old requested a tradeoff out of Minnesota less than two weeks ago.

In spite of the shocking loss, Warriors’ coach, Steve Kerr was glad his team lost on US soil instead of tours in China.

The post Kawhi Leonard Debuts for Raptors, Warriors Lose to Timberwolves appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Kawhi Leonard will continue donning the Los Angeles Clippers jersey for the foreseeable future. The Clippers announced on Wednesday that Leonard signed a new extension with the franchise.

The LA team didn’t disclose the financial terms of the agreement, but multiple reports indicate it is a three-year, $153 million deal. Leonard was in the final year of his old contract and had a player option for the 2024-25 season.

“We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with Kawhi,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He is an elite player, a terrific partner, and a relentless worker who knows how to win and makes it his first priority. He elevated our franchise from the moment he arrived. We feel fortunate that Kawhi chose to join the Clippers five years ago, and excited to keep building with him.”

Leonard is enjoying a great season and is the main reason why the Clippers are sitting at No. 4 in the Western Conference with a 23-13 record. The 32-year-old player is currently averaging 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 51.6% from the field. He also managed to avoid injury issues that plagued him in recent seasons, missing only four games so far in 2023-24.

The Clippers are reportedly also looking to sign their other superstar, Paul George, to a new extension. The negotiations are currently underway, and both sides are optimistic about reaching a deal. 

The post Kawhi Leonard and Clippers Agree to a 3-Year, $153 Million Extension appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points to lead his team to a 121-104 win over the Miami Heat at the Crypto.com Arena. This is Leonard’s first game back from a four-game absence after suffering a left hip contusion. In addition, Leonard added six rebounds, five assists, and four steals to push the Clippers over the line.

“You see the performance,” Clippers point guard James Harden said of Leonard. “Both ends of the ball, just elite. Shotmaking, defensively, just being active, creating opportunities in transition. We needed that, [for Leonard] to get well and get better. We missed him.” Playing just 33 minutes against the Heat, Leonard surpassed 13,000 career points during the win.

Now on a three-game winning streak, the Clippers have won 12 of their last 14 games, pushing them up to fourth place on the Western Conference standings. The Clippers next face the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night before taking on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.

The post Kawhi Leonard Scores 24 For Clippers Upon Returning From Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

We finally know why Los Angeles Clippers’ superstar Kawhi Leonard only played two games in the first-round series versus the Phoenix Suns. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Leonard’s absence in the remainder of the series was due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. 

Charania reports that Leonard’s injury was revealed after Game 2, prompting the Clippers’ medical staff to shut him down.

Kawhi Leonard delivered a pair of spectacular performances to begin the Suns’ series and even helped the LA team to steal Game 1 on the road. However, the 31-year-old player was ruled out for Game 3 on short notice and never returned to the court despite being designated “day-to-day.”

Without Leonard and already missing their second All-Star in Paul George, the LA Clippers couldn’t do much to keep up with the star-studded Suns. They lost the series in five games and are now heading to the offseason having a lot more questions than answers.    

“It’s always in the back of your mind, ‘What if.’ It’s easy to say, ‘What if,’ because a lot of guys get hurt,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said after the Clippers lost Game 5. “It’s just been our luck the last three years.”

Kawhi Leonard previously missed the entire 2021-22 season while recovering from a partial tear of the ACL in his right knee. He played 52 games in the regular part of the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.

The post LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard Diagnosed With Torn Meniscus appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Kawhi Leonard proved to be recovering well after his long-term injury by helping the Los Angeles Clippers to a 125-118 victory over local rivals Los Angeles Lakers at a sold-out Crypto.com Arena.

Leonard played the entire second half for only the third time in his career, the last time being during Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. He finished Thursday night’s game with 25 points and seven rebounds.

“He said he felt good,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said of Leonard. “He knew how important this win was for us. And so he gave everything he had.”

“I thought I did a good job,” Leonard added, explaining that the trust he was able to put in teammates such as Norman Powell and Bones Hyland helped to make all the difference.

Missing the entirety of last season due to suffering a torn ACL, Leonard played his first consecutive contests last weekend for the first time since incurring his injury.

The post Leonard Shows Strong Recovery To Help Clippers To Vital Win appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a shocking collapse in this year’s playoffs, Los Angeles Clippers decided to make some changes to position themselves in a more successful run in 2020/21. The organization already made a change in the head coaching position and could reportedly follow that by adding a new floor general.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently reported that Clippers’ superstar Kawhi Leonard has requested from the front office to add a point guard in the offseason. According to Smith, Leonard would like to play with a guard that “can run a team and can shoot,” something Clippers lack at the moment.

Clippers have Patrick Beverley at the guard but he isn’t exactly a capable creator or facilitator. Beverley brings energy on the defensive end of the ball but is often a liability on the offense. Backup Lou Williams, on the other hand, is focused too much on scoring and can’t do much in other departments.

If the LA Clippers decide to give Leonard what he wants, they would need to be creative. On the free-agent market, they could go for Slovenian playmaker Goran Dragic, but it is highly unlikely that he would accept mid-level exception money, which is the max the Clippers can offer him.

On the other hand, there is always an option for the Clippers to execute a trade. Beverley and Williams might be moved on, as well as youngster Landry Shamet. Dealing Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrell through sign-and-trade is also a possibility.

The path that Clippers take will also depend on the style of basketball that new head coach Ty Lue wants to play. But something tells us that Leonard’s wishes won’t be disregarded, especially since he can opt-out of his contract after next season.

The post Kawhi Leonard Demands from Clippers to Add a Point Guard appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After criticizing his former player Kawhi Leonard for lack of leadership skills, San Antonio Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Leonard, who now plays for Toronto Raptors, said that he heard about Popovich’s comments and called them “funny.”

“I heard about it. It’s just funny to me because, you know, I don’t know if he’s talking about last year or not, but I guess when you stop playing they forget how you lead,” – Leonard told reporters. “Other than that, it doesn’t matter. I’m here with the Raptors. My focus is on the season and not what’s going on the other side.“

According to Leonard, he is a leader but shows it in another way.

“I lead by example coming into practice every day. Just going hard and coming into these games mentally focused,” – the 27-year-old added.

Although Kawhi Leonard supposed to be the Spurs’ franchise player for years to come, the relationship between him and the organization became fractured after he suffered an injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Leonard and Spurs had disputes over the way his injury should be handled, and the player ended up making a trade request in June 2018.

Leonard ended up being traded to Toronto Raptors alongside Danny Green, in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Pöltl and a protected 2019 first round draft pick.

So far in the 2018-19 season, Kawhi Leonard played 15 games for the Raptors, averaging 24.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

The post Kawhi Leonard Says Gregg Popovich’s Criticism of Him is “Funny” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Kawhi Leonard logged 12 points in his first game as the Raptors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 122-104 on Sunday. Leonard played for 19 minutes and was received to cheers by Toronto fans.

In spite of the loud cheers, Kawhi claimed not to notice the love from Raptors fans, saying he was only having fun with the game.

“It’s going to take time to find my rhythm, but I felt great, Leonard said after the game. “…just having fun.” Concerning the cheers, “I didn’t really notice it,” he said. “I was just locked into the game.”

Coach Nick Nurse admitted Leonard’s debut wasn’t perfect but has high hopes the 27-year-old will find his form once the league commences.

“I think everybody saw Kawhi was shaking off some rust but you can obviously see the level that he has,” Nurse said.

The Raptors will continue with their preseason tour by facing the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors began their preseason tour with a 114-110 defeat to the Timberwolves team that didn’t have Jimmy Butler in it. The 29-year-old requested a tradeoff out of Minnesota less than two weeks ago.

In spite of the shocking loss, Warriors’ coach, Steve Kerr was glad his team lost on US soil instead of tours in China.

The post Kawhi Leonard Debuts for Raptors, Warriors Lose to Timberwolves appeared first on SportzBonanza.