NBA legend Julius Erving shares unexpected criticism of Kawhi Leonard

LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is close to returning from injury. According to Clippers head coach Ty Lue, Leonard was sidelined all season with a right knee injury. He has now completed the five-on-five training and done well.

Because of his injury history, the Clippers will always be extra careful with Leonard and his health. While the term “load management” has largely been phased out by the NBA and replaced with terms like “injury recovery” and “injury management,” many still have issues with how teams handle this situation.

Leonard’s situation is very different from what would be considered normal stress management, as he underwent offseason surgery to treat knee inflammation that sidelined him last postseason. However, an NBA legend recently spoke about why he doesn’t see Leonard the same way he used to.

NBA legend Julius Erving spoke about Leonard on the “Come and Talk 2 Me” podcast.

“Load management messed with me because Kawhi Leonard was my guy,” Erving said. “San Antonio, Toronto, I’m in Kawhi’s corner… And then this load management stuff happened, and he’s playing like every fourth game. “I’m like, what the hell happened to my man? What happened to 82 games?”

As is often the case in this conversation, Erving is exaggerating a bit here. Although Leonard has resorted to load management at times, the majority of his absences have been due to legitimate injuries. Additionally, load management has also been focused on these injuries and ensuring they do not return to play.

Erving said he spent time with Leonard during the NBA’s 75th anniversary celebration and publicly supported the Clippers star.

“Kawhi is my favorite NBA player,” Erving told Clippers on SI in August 2022. “Absolutely.”

While it’s understandable that NBA legends like Erving dislike the way certain players are handled from a workload standpoint, Leonard’s case is often unfairly discussed.

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