As the founder of NBA load management, Kawhi Leonard has attracted criticism from countless fans and experts. The latest one to speak out is basketball legend Oscar Robertson, who recently called out the Clippers star for his poor attendance record.
“I think if you’re making $50 million a year, there’s no such thing as load management,” said Robertson on ‘All the Smoke’ podcast. “I think sometimes players owe it to the fans who come to see you play.”
Oscar Robertson, 85, is an NBA Hall of Famer who retired in 1974 as a 12x All-Star, 11x All-NBA player, and former NBA champion. He’s a believer in working for your paycheck and he put everything on the line to lead his teams to victory. Back in his day, players like him did whatever they could to get a win for their club and they never took the job for granted.
Today, however, things are different. As the league has shifted more toward catering to the players, the expectations for performance and attendance have relaxed to an extreme degree. Players don’t put much thought into the fans these days and they play more for their own sake rather than to inspire or motivate others. Now, NBA athletes are not even expected to show up for every game and the teams actively plan “rest days” to preserve the health and durability of their most important players.
Kawhi Leonard was a mascot for these changes and it’s widely believed that his routine with the Clippers has made the practice normalized across the NBA. Ever since arriving in Los Angeles in 2019, he has made it a habit to skip back-to-backs and every other game which he labels as “too risky” for his long-term health.
Over the past five years, Kawhi has only played in at least 60 games in a season once and he’s played 52 or less three times. The results have been devastating for the Clippers, who can never get right when it’s time to make a playoff run.
Despite hurting the fans, his team, and his own reputation, Kawhi continues to take game days off like it’s his right and the Clippers have yet to push back in any meaningful way. In fact, they had no problem rewarding him with a shiny new three-year, $153 million extension just a few months back.
With Paul George gone and James Harden left to take his place, Leonard (33) is facing more pressure than ever to keep the team together and keep them competitive in the tough Western Conference.
As good as he’s been on the court, the Clippers just need consistency more than anything if they want to avoid a steep drop in the standings. That means Kawhi will have to make himself available for as many games as he can.
It’s the least that Kawhi can do for the thousands of Clippers fans who pay to come and see him play. Unfortunately, Kawhi Leonard has always put his own priorities over anything else and he just won’t risk suffering from another potential injury if he can avoid it altogether.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
