Stephen A. Smith’s issue with players missing important games isn’t new. The media veteran often goes on long rants, talking about why it’s important for key players to always be available for their team during the postseason. Kawhi Leonard has probably taken the brunt of the ESPN analyst’s criticism. Stephen A. blasted the six-time All-Star once again on a recent episode of The OGs with Udonis Haslem, calling him the ‘worst superstar’ a franchise could have.
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The 56-year-old admitted that Kawhi is a bona fide superstar of the game with an unmatched potential. However, his problem with the two-time NBA Champion is that he ghosts his team during crucial moments in the playoffs despite signing expensive extension deals with his franchise.
Even if he delivers a stellar regular season, Kawhi ends up picking up an injury just before or during the postseason that curtails his team’s chances of proceeding further. Smith told Haslem, “He’s [Leonard is] the worst superstar anybody could ever have. He’s the worst. He is a superstar player who misses 60% of his playoffs games.”
It’s worth noting that the media veteran clarified that he never doubts a player about the authenticity of his injuries. He told UD, “I’m not questioning his injury…I’d never disrespect y’all [players] by saying that somebody’s injury is fake.”
However, Stephen A. pointed out that a player’s availability should also decide a player’s value, not just how good he is. If a superstar is never there, then the franchise loses at the end of the day footing the expensive bill of a player who wasn’t available during the crucial fixtures.
That’s why Stephen A. believes Kawhi Leonard is the worst superstar to have for a franchise, whether it’s due to his own actions or not.
Smith added that the 33-year-old does absolutely nothing to promote the team that he’s with. He said, “You know where I got really really salty about Kawhi…In part it’s because he does nothing to promote his team or the sport. Marketing is important. He does nothing in that regard.”
The ESPN analyst referred to Kawhi’s New Balance commercial as an example of that. He said that despite it being a commercial for his own shoes, the Clippers star didn’t say much and the kids who were featured alongside him did all the heavy lifting.
Stephen A. believes that an important part of being a superstar is having a personality that can be conveyed to the masses. In its absence, Kawhi ends up becoming more of a liability than an asset.
