LeBron James Defends Kawhi Leonard From Injury Narrative in Video, 'One of the Best Players Ever'

Amid one of the best stretches of Kawhi Leonard's career, LeBron James heaped praise on the the two-time NBA Finals MVP following the Los Angeles Lakers' 125-122 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after the game, James described Leonard as "one of the best players ever" amid past criticism about Leonard's injury history.

There is a feeling of cruel irony that Leonard is playing as well as anyone in the NBA right now for a Clippers team that tore down their roster prior to the trade deadline by moving James Harden and Ivica Zubac.

Friday's loss dropped the Clippers' record to 27-29 this season, ninth in the Western Conference. Leonard scored 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting in 31 minutes against the Lakers.

Clippers-Lakers Full Highlights

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In 26 games since Dec. 20, Leonard is averaging 29.8 points on 49.4 percent shooting (39.9 percent from three), 6.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per contest.

Given the Clippers' struggles this season, it's not surprising that Leonard's performance might be going under the radar. It's also remarkable that he is doing this at the age of 34 given all of the leg/knee injuries he has had throughout his career.

The list of ailments Leonard has endured include a partially torn ACL and a torn meniscus, both in his right knee. Criticism about his availability and injury management even reached a point where the Clippers gave a statement to ESPN's Baxter Holmes prior to the start of this season voicing their support for him.

"Kawhi Leonard is an elite player and admired teammate who has made significant contributions to our organization. We treat Kawhi with the same respect as we do all of our players and staff. Unfortunately, he's battled injuries, which have led to undue scrutiny and criticism, but we appreciate his resilience and relentless work ethic. We're grateful he is part of our team and look forward to the start of training camp."

It doesn't help the situation that there has been a lack of transparency around Leonard's injuries at times. For instance, the Clippers didn't have him on their initial injury report prior to Game 5 of a 2021 playoff series against the Utah Jazz even though it had already been reported he was feared to have suffered a torn ACL.

Leonard has already played 43 of the Clippers' 56 games so far this season. He's seven games away from reaching the 50-game threshold for the first time since the 2022-23 season.

If Leonard can get up 60 games, it would mark just the second time he has done that in seven seasons with the Clippers.

Leonard and James played together on the USA Stripes team during the All-Star Game. The Clippers star stole the show against the World team with 31 points in a 48-45 win.