Kawhi Leonard's Official Injury Status for Clippers-Pelicans

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The LA Clippers are facing the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night as they look for a third-straight win. Currently 18-13 on the season, the Clippers enter play on Monday in a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the fifth seed in the Western Conference standings. This is despite being without Kawhi Leonard for the entire season so far.
Monday’s game against the Pelicans begins a three-game road trip for the Clippers that also includes contests against the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers will return home on January 4 to face the Atlanta Hawks, a game that could be the season debut for Leonard.

The Clippers have released their injury report for Monday night’s game, and Leonard is again ruled out with right knee injury recovery. This comes as no surprise, as the star forward did not travel with the Clippers on their three-game road trip.
Clippers head coach Ty Lue told reporters last week that Leonard would not travel on this trip, but instead stay back and practice with the San Diego Clippers. Playing his college basketball at San Diego State University, Leonard will spend some time in the city this week practicing with LA’s G League affiliate.
Ty Lue says Kawhi Leonard will not travel on this upcoming road trip. He’s going to stay back and practice with the San Diego Clippers.
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) December 26, 2024
This level of intentionality from the Clippers as it pertains to getting Leonard more five on five practices certainly suggests that a return is nearing. For now, the team will have to continue winning games in his absence.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.
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