This is an opinion.
- The Athletic just dropped a bombshell report about Clippers’ chemistry issues.
- It detailed the preferential of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
- Combined with Kawhi’s previous actions, he’s taking the lead as the NBA’s biggest superstar diva.
Kawhi Leonard doesn’t say much, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t communicating.
Kevin Durant may have been caught with a burner account. Kyrie Irving may make some outlandish comments. But Leonard’s actions have alienated his teammates, his coaches, and entire cities.
As the Clippers tried to bend over backward to give him the star treatment, it ultimately broke them.
Why are we pretending that Kawhi Leonard is anything but a diva?
The Athletic Drops a Bomb
The Athletic just went into detail about the inner-workings of the Clippers’ locker room.
According to the report, Leonard often hijacked female locker rooms to have a private place to stretch. The female staff could not use their bathroom, change their clothes, or access their belongings while Kawhi lorded over their space.
One team source said:
I thought from the beginning, ‘We’re doomed. Kawhi wants too much special treatment.
And the special treatment went DEEP.
Leonard was reportedly late to flights and practices regularly because he was allowed to live in San Diego. He even had power over the team’s practice and travel schedule and several teammates though he canceled multiple practices.
Check out this list of preferential treatment these stars saw:
• Leonard and George were the only players to have their own personal security guards and trainers.
• Leonard and George typically didn’t speak to the media until at least 45 minutes after games concluded, under the guise of postgame treatment or workouts. This usually resulted in their teammates speaking with the media first, and for longer, essentially becoming the public voices of the team.
• Teammates also believed that Leonard and George were able to pick and choose when they played.
Wow. It’s hard to imagine feeling like a team when the power dynamics are so off-balance. But Kawhi Leonard is no stranger to drama.
Kawhi Leonard Has Been Here Before
Who can forget the time Kawhi Leonard sabotaged the entire San Antonio Spurs franchise? He sat out for over a year because of a mysterious leg injury that the doctors had difficulty diagnosing.
Spurs legends like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli questioned Kawhi’s motives before he forced a trade out of the organization. Parker said he dealt with a leg injury “a hundred times worse” than Leonard’s, and he was healed and back on the court in far less time.
Watch Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe roast Kawhi:
Fans still boo him when he shows up in San Antonio.
And they probably boo him when he shows up at strip clubs without his girlfriend.
He essentially tanked the entire Spurs franchise, and his need for star treatment tanked the Clippers season. Well-respected coach Doc Rivers was fired as a result.
What’s worse, he postures as a low-maintenance, blue-collar player when he’s anything but.
Kawhi Leonard, while quiet, is speaking volumes with his selfish actions. And he’s quickly becoming the league’s biggest diva.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.