Bruce Bowen Offered San Antonio Zoo Job After Kawhi Leonard Controversy

Former San Antonio Spurs forward Bruce Bowen jokingly accepted a job offer from the San Antonio Zoo after reportedly being removed from the Los Angeles Clippers' broadcast team over comments made about potential 2019 free-agent target Kawhi Leonard.

On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reported the Clippers wouldn't provide approval for Fox Sports West to renew Bowen's contract because of comments he made about Leonard's Spurs drama on SiriusXM Radio in June.

"I think he's getting bad advice," he said. "I think what you're starting to see now is an individual given a certain amount of advice, and it's not the right advice. Here it is: You were protected in San Antonio. You were able to come up during a time where you still could lean on Tim [Duncan], Tony [Parker] and Manu [Ginobili]."

The Clippers are a potential landing spot next summer for Leonard, an L.A. native who was traded to the Toronto Raptors in July, and "eliminating Bowen becomes a clear message about how it plans to protect star players within the organization," per Wojnarowski.

San Antonio Zoo CEO Tim Morrow stepped in to offer Bowen a position Tuesday because of his "honest [and] insightful player analysis":

"I gladly accept!" the three-time NBA champion answered on Twitter. 

While it's unlikely Bowen, who has also spent time with ESPN since retiring from the NBA in 2009, is going to spend his days with the zoo's Nile crocodiles or dart frogs, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him land with the Spurs or the team's TV or radio partners in some capacity ahead of the 2018-19 season.