Sports
Clippers still unsure if Kawhi Leonard will play Game 1: 'Very unpredictable'
Day 3 of the continuing injury update regarding Kawhi Leonard brought in Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank to explain more details and to tell the media that his All-Star forward will be listed as “questionable” for Game 1 of the playoffs Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Leonard, who missed the last eight games of the season, has had swelling in the knee that has prevented him from participating in full-contact practice for the Clippers’ first-round series.
“Kawhi has been dealing with inflammation for almost three weeks in his right knee,” Frank said before practice Thursday. “He’s doing everything. Our medical staff is doing everything to get the inflammation down so he can play. Progress has been made, but more progress needs [to be made]. The inflammation needs to continue to reduce so he can do functional basketball movements.”
Frank said it’s impossible to predict when the inflammation would subside to allow Leonard to practice fully and play in the seven-game series.
“The one thing I would share with you is that inflammation is unpredictable,” Frank said. “So, we’d love to have a crystal ball and Kawhi would love to have a crystal ball and know exactly on this day, but you just control what you can control and hopefully the inflammation reduces in a short amount of time and he’s back on the court. That’s the goal.”
Frank was asked about a report that said Leonard got an injection in his knee to reduce the inflammation.
“Yeah, we don’t comment on any specific treatments, obviously,” Frank said. “What I’d share with you is he’s doing everything he can and we’re doing everything we can medically. But specific treatments, regardless of the player, we would never comment on it.
“He’ll be questionable for Sunday. I’m trying to be as transparent as possible. It is just very unpredictable. So, if things continue to get better and better, there’s a chance. So we’ll be hopeful.”
Leonard played in the Clippers’ first two playoff games last season against the Phoenix Suns, but he missed the rest of that series with what eventually was announced as a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Frank was asked if that knee injury is related to the current one.
“Different,” he said. “Everything structurally is in a really, really good place. So this is just, like I said, it’s just some very, very stubborn inflammation.”
Kawhi Leonard takes control of a loose ball in front of Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal and forward Josh Okogie during a game in January.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Leonard last played March 31 at Charlotte. When the Clippers arrived in Sacramento for the next game, he complained about his knee being sore. He hasn’t played since, now going on about three weeks.
Frank said they are taking it slowly with Leonard to make sure the knee is sound.
“You get through the steps of where the swelling is at an acceptable level and then you start the ramp up,” Frank said. “You do some exercises in the performance room, you start doing court work and then where you get to a point where you’re able to go full-speed, contact-type work.”
The Clippers will take Friday off and then have a light practice Saturday before Sunday’s 12:30 p.m. game at Crypto.com Arena.
So, Frank was asked, is it possible for Leonard to be healthy enough to play with so much limited practice?
“Yeah, it’s Thursday though, right?” Frank said. “So, in terms of based on where we’re heading, is it possible he could play? Sure, it’s possible. It’s Thursday. And like I said, with each day we’ll know more and more …
“I think with it is you start with on-court work and then you continue to build up on it and you get to a point where both from first Kawhi’s standpoint and then from a medical standpoint, we are comfortable where he can play in a high-level playoff game that we all know the intensity level that’s required in those games.”
Leonard played 68 games this season, leading the Clippers in scoring by averaging 23.7 points per game.
He averaged 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists and shot 52.5% from the field and 41.7% from three-point range.
Frank was asked how Leonard is dealing with the setback.
“Oh, he’s a very, very strong-minded guy,” Frank said.
“… So, he just channels his energy, all his energy into what he can control and puts 24/7 into whatever he can do to help reduce the inflammation.”
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
Martin Dugard is a prolific author and writer. He’s also an assistant cross-country coach at Santa Margarita after being head coach at JSerra for 15 years.
His newest book is “The Long Run,” which discusses the 1970s running boom and is a narrative history of four who sparked the marathon boom: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz.
He’s going to have a book signing on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 26751 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo.
Don’t be surprised if he tries to run from Rancho Santa Margarita to his book signing.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football blunders have been easy enough to explain away.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players for a game were three guys who weren’t playing in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
He’s definitely not a college football guy (remember when he called Jalen Milroe Jalen “Milroy” multiple times and then read the wrong stat line after a College Football Playoff game?).
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ESPN forces him into those conversations because First Take has to talk football, and Smith knows that football is the most popular sport in the country and he needs to be seen as an authority (even though he isn’t).
But Monday’s latest mistake is a lot tougher to excuse, because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was talking about the Golden State Warriors, one of the defining NBA dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that’s supposed to be his bread and butter.
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While discussing whether Steve Kerr has coached his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
That’s not even close to true. Not only did Golden State make the playoffs last season, but they also reached the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beat the Rockets in seven games and advanced to the second round before losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
So, Smith wouldn’t even have been right if he said they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022. But he didn’t say that. He said they didn’t make the playoffs in any of the past four years, except they did it twice.
Yikes.
This is not an obscure piece of NBA trivia that Smith could be easily forgiven for not knowing. Perhaps he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and just missed two of the past three NBA postseasons. That’s a tough look for the guy who fancies himself as the No. 1 NBA analyst in the country.
And it’s a terrible look for ESPN, as they keep selling Smith as one of the faces of their NBA coverage.
Stephen A. Smith made a brutal gaffe while talking Warriors playoff history
If Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL, nobody would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to butcher football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a guy with the ego of Smith can be so consistently wrong while also delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. It’s part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he’s supposed to at least know the basics. This is where Smith prides himself as being an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated the Golden State Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
And yet he couldn’t keep the recent playoff history of the Warriors straight. The team whose head coach is in the news every other week. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament (although they won 46 games that season). And yes, it fell short again this season. But that’s a lot different from acting like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball wilderness since winning that 2022 title.
He hasn’t. In fact, the team is 175-153 in the past four regular seasons.
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The Warriors made the second round in 2023. They made the second round again in 2025.
Before burying Steve Kerr on national television, maybe Stephen A. Smith could take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were actually, you know, in the playoffs.
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