Claim: Before the Clippers’ final pre-season game today, head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed that Kawhi Leonard would be out indefinitely to begin the 2024-25 NBA season. Following the announcement, rumors started to spread on NBA Twitter(now X) about the Klaw’s supposed retirement.
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A tweet gained significant traction online for reporting that CBS’s Chris Whelan had confirmed that Leonard is considering hanging up his boots after the latest setback. Kendrick Perkins’s remarks asking the two-time NBA Champion to retire also fanned the flames.
Verdict: However, we can confirm that the rumors regarding Leonard’s potential retirement are false. No verifiable sources have posted any such update.
Source of the Rumor: The original post that started the speculations was from the parody account ‘NBA Centel’, which reports satirical news about the league and its players for the purpose of humor. It closely copies the name and logo of reliable news source ‘NBACentral’. Hence, sometimes users fall for NBACentel’s fake news posts.
Several users responded to the tweet and shared their shock about Leonard’s future.
Kawhi Leonard is reportedly considering retiring from the NBA, per @CBSChrisWhelan
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) October 17, 2024
Facts: So let’s break down what we actually know about the 33-year-old’s situation thus far. The Klaw played in 68 games during the regular season last year, his highest mark since 2017. However, inflammation in his right knee forced him to miss the last 8 games of the regular season and most of the Clippers’ first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks.
It was the same knee injury that forced Leonard to miss the Paris Olympics this summer. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that he underwent surgery in the offseason to address the issue.
Although there have been no reports of any setbacks during his rehab process, Leonard’s camp and the Clippers coaching staff have decided to wait it out instead of enforcing a deadline on their star’s return.
The news is upsetting, to say the least. A healthy Kawhi Leonard can be one of the purest hoopers in the game and fans have been itching to watch him play more consistently. Perhaps that’s why some fans fell for NBACentel’s satiric tweet.
