Bruce Bowen Confirms Clippers Fired Him for Kawhi Leonard Criticism

Bruce Bowen confirmed he was fired by the Los Angeles Clippers for comments he made that were critical of Kawhi Leonard. 

"Oh yeah, it was, well, basically, 'We don't view your views that way, and because of your comments of Kawhi Leonard, we are choosing to go a separate way,'" Bowen told the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday (h/t Uproxx's Bill DiFilippo). 

Bowen added "an individual within their organization who signed off on me being on board" was the one who informed him of his dismissal. 

ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Bowen, who served as an analyst on Clippers broadcasts last season, didn't have his contract renewed because he had harsh words for L.A.'s 2019 free-agent target. 

"I think there's nothing but excuses going on," Bowen told SiriusXM NBA Radio in June when he was asked about Leonard's turbulent final season with the San Antonio Spurs. "First, it was, 'Well I was misdiagnosed.' Look here: You got $18 million this year, and you think that they're trying to rush you? You didn't play for the most part a full season this year. And you're the go-to guy, you're the franchise, and you want to say that they didn't have your best interest at heart? Are you kidding me?"

According to Wojnarowski, Leonard—now a member of the Toronto Raptors—"is primarily interested" in signing with the Clippers or Los Angeles Lakers when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2019.