Fact check: Did Kawhi Leonard retire from the NBA? Viral tweet debunked
Kawhi Leonard is an exceptional player, but he has gained notoriety for being closely associated with load management because of his injury history.
In each of his three seasons with the LA Clippers, he failed to reach 60 games played. However, he still averaged 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 33.3 minutes per game. He also remained a formidable force on defense.
In the wake of the new rules adopted by the NBA Board of Governors aimed at addressing the common occurrence of load management, the parody account NBACentel posted on X that “The Klaw” has retired.
There is no truth to the post. Leonard is still under contract for $45,640,084 this season. He also has a player option for $48,787,676 next season.
How newly introduced rules can affect Kawhi Leonard
According to the new rules, teams are required to adhere to stricter guidelines when determining whether to rest a star player, defined as someone who has earned All-Star honors or has been named to an All-NBA team in any of the last three seasons.
The revised resting rules stipulate that no more than one star player can be unavailable for the same game. This may have implications for Leonard, given that both he and Paul George are frequently rested by the Clippers to ensure their long-term performance and readiness for the playoffs.
Additionally, teams are obligated to ensure that their star players are accessible for nationally televised matchups and games within the in-season tournaments. Teams are also expected to maintain a balance in the number of single-game absences for star players, with a preference for these absences to occur during home games.
Also during this offseason, a fresh rule was introduced stating that players seeking eligibility for awards like MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA honors must participate in a minimum of 65 games.
Over the past five seasons, Leonard's highest game count was during the 2018-19 season, when he played 60 games while with the Toronto Raptors, a season in which he clinched the championship and earned the Finals MVP title.
The last time he participated in more than 65 games was in the 2016-17 season when he played in 74 games.
This implies that if Leonard, who has earned five All-Defensive team selections, five All-NBA nods, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, two NBA Finals MVP titles, and one All-Star MVP award, wants to rack up more accolades, he must play in more games.