Kawhi Leonard Sparks Speculation with Cryptic Video Hinting at Clippers Return Post-Injury .giang

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard seemed to indicate in a video posted on his X account Friday that his return from a knee injury could be on the horizon.

In the video, Leonard turns on the radio at one point, and an announcer states: “We’ve got exciting news coming out of Los Angeles. Kawhi Leonard looks to be returning to the court pretty soon.”

Two versions of Leonard then have a conversation with each other, and one of them says: “There’s been good days, there’s been bad days, but I keep coming back. It’s the nature of the game.”

The 33-year-old Leonard has yet to play this season due to a knee ailment that caused him to miss four of the Clippers six playoff games last season.

Leonard attempted to play for Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris just a couple of months after the NBA season ended, but the decision was made to replace him with Boston Celtics guard Derrick White.

It was eventually announced that Leonard would not be ready for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season, and concrete updates have been few and far between since then.

However, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on Dec. 10 that Leonard practiced for the first time this season, and that he would potentially be able to return to game action within two weeks “barring any setbacks.”

That timeline suggests Leonard could potentially return any day for a Clippers team that has exceeded expectations with a 17-13 record during his absence.

Leonard appeared in 68 games last season, which was his most since the 2016-17 campaign. From 2017-18 through 2022-23, he played in 60 or fewer games each year, including missing the entire 2021-22 season.

When healthy, Leonard is one of the best players in basketball, as evidenced by his six All-Star selections, two NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards, two NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP Awards.

Once Leonard returns, he will join forces with Norman Powell, James Harden and Ivica Zubac, all of whom are enjoying highly productive seasons.

With a healthy Leonard in the fold, the Clippers could suddenly become legitimate contenders to win the Western Conference and vie for their first NBA title.