Kawhi Leonard is one of the biggest stars in the NBA today. He's one of the few players to win multiple championships with different franchises, having led the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors to the pinnacle. Although Leonard is widely known for his playoff breakouts, The Klaw has also triggered some negative reactions due to his availability.
Unable to stay on the court, Leonard's Clippers stint has failed to produce a single championship. To this day, his Los Angeles tenure remains to be his only ringless venture with a franchise. While his diminishing health has been a factor, it also doesn't help that Leonard found himself at the center of a potential salary cap circumvention controversy. Here is a look at the five worst moments in Kawhi Leonard' Clippers stint.
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Kawhi Leonard has -33 in an elimination game
Leonard is historically known to kick his game to the next level in the playoffs. Although he showed flashes of those in the first-round series against the Denver Nuggets in 2025, he had a forgettable outing in the do-or-die Game 7. Leonard and the Clippers lacked the energy to close out the series as they were hammered 120-101 by the Nuggets.
The two-time Finals MVP finished the night with 22 points, five rebounds, and two assists on 6-of-13 shooting from the field overall. However, he was a -33, which was the lowest plus-minus mark in his entire career. With another first-round exit in the books, the Clippers have now been eliminated from the playoffs five times and missed the postseason once since Leonard's blockbuster signing in 2019. To make matters worse, the Clippers have failed to win a playoff series in four years.
Kawhi Leonard has career-high nine turnovers
Leonard was forced to exorcise some ghosts when he took his talents to Los Angeles. In his 10th game for the Clippers, his team welcomed the Toronto Raptors. Facing his former team for the first time just after leading them to the 2019 NBA title, it was a rough outing for the two-time NBA champion.
In fact, Leonard finished the night with just 12 points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field overall and 0-of-4 from beyond the arc. Although he did add 11 rebounds and nine assists, the Clippers star also registered a career-high nine turnovers. Fortunately, Los Angeles did manage to buck Leonard's struggles, escaping with a 98-88 win.
Kawhi Leonard missing the 2021-22 season
The biggest obstacle to Leonard's title conquest in Los Angeles has been his availability. Since joining the Clippers, he has only played in 35 games across five seasons. Furthermore, the biggest injury thus far has been an inflammation in his right knee that sidelined him for the entire 2021-22 season.
Without Leonard, the Clippers barely looked like a threat. The team still managed to post a 42-40 record to finish eighth in the Western Conference. However, the team failed to punch a ticket to the playoffs after losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In Tournament. Leonard's availability would've easily changed the playoff landscape in the wild West.
Clippers blowing a 3-1 lead in the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals
The Clippers elevated themselves into a legitimate championship contender when they successfully acquired both Leonard and George in the offseason. By forming a formidable duo, the Clippers finished with a 49-23 record while carrying heavy expectations.
Leonard and the Clippers easily dispatched Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. However, they got their hands full against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the second round. Despite racing to a 3-1 series lead, Denver climbed out of the hole to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Leonard had a forgettable crucial Game 7 outing. He finished with just 14 points on 6-of-22 shooting from the field overall while going -21 in the 104-89 series-clinching blowout.
Kawhi Leonard's Aspiration scandal
After another disappointing season, the Clippers made headlines for the wrong reasons in the ongoing summer. It was revealed that the Clippers are being accused of violating the NBA's salary cap rules. The allegations point at Leonard's no-show $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration, which is a bankrupt firm that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funded.
Aspiration has no shortage of questionable history as it was previously battling against fraud-related accusations. Now dealing with possibly a salary cap circumvention violation, harsh penalties could be on the horizon for the franchise. This potential scandal only adds another black eye to the already rocky Kawhi Leonard era for the Clippers.
