Kawhi Leonard on the joy of finally being back from 'devastating' injury

LOS ANGELES – Kawhi Leonard is not prone to hyperbole.

So, the word he chose to describe how he felt when he suffered a partially torn ACL in his right knee during an NBA title push in 2021 was especially revealing.

"It was just devastating getting hurt in that period of time, in the playoffs, when you're on a good run," Leonard told FOX Sports this week in his first exclusive interview since the incident.

Leonard sustained the injury during Game 4 of the LA Clippers' Western Conference semifinals series against Utah when he was fouled by Joe Ingles as he drove toward the basket. Leonard grimaced in pain and limped off the court before returning to play another 45 seconds. The injury would thwart the Clippers' title run and sideline Leonard for 493 days, including all of last season.

Teammate Marcus Morris still has an issue with the way Ingles made contact with Leonard and knocked him off-balance, the first time anyone on the Clippers has insinuated that the play was dirty.

"I felt like it was a cheap shot in a cheap manner, probably that's what hurt the most. It was a non-competitive play," Morris said this week.

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The Clippers and Leonard were indeed on a good run. At the time, Leonard was 29 and widely considered the top two-way player in the league. In the first round of the playoffs against Dallas, Leonard dazzled with two 40-point performances while often guarding Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic. Over 11 games that postseason, he averaged 30.4 points on 57% shooting.

Upon signing in LA in 2019, Leonard had been hailed as the Clippers' savior, the antidote to their curse of never having made it past the second round of the playoffs in the franchise's 50-year history. After he went down in the 2021 playoffs, the Clippers won two more games to reach the Western Conference Finals against Phoenix. But without Leonard's soft touch, explosiveness and lightning-quick hands, they fell to the Suns in six games.

"I feel like that first part, for me, was harder than anything," Leonard said of being sidelined during a promising playoff run.

For the next 16 months, Leonard had to wonder "what if." Last season, he watched helplessly as the Clippers missed the postseason altogether.

When asked if the mental anguish of his absence was worse than the physical pain of his injury, Leonard didn't hesitate.

"It was," he said. "I found ways to stay away and just take it one day at a time and make sure my knee was good for this year. I just tried to take it for what it was. I was able to spend more time with my kids and see them every day."

Leonard underwent surgery in July 2021 and poured himself into his rehab, particularly lifting weights. Clint Parks, who trained Leonard from the age of 14 until he left San Diego State in 2011, was taken aback by Leonard's appearance when he saw him over the summer during a workout. Parks couldn't believe how much more muscle there was around Leonard's calves, thighs and hamstring.

"Kawhi is a calculated dude, I'm pretty sure that was by design as a way to protect obviously his knees," Parks said.

During media day last month, Leonard told reporters he "definitely got a lot stronger." He added that if the Clippers had made the Finals last season, he would have played.

Instead, Leonard's long-awaited return came last week against the Los Angeles Lakers. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue and Leonard agreed that he'd come off the bench to maximize his playing time while under a strict minutes restriction.

He entered the game midway through the second quarter and initially looked as though no time had passed. Over the span of a minute, he grabbed two rebounds and made 16- and 15-foot fadeaways over Juan Toscano-Anderson.

But eventually, Leonard slowed down, missed a few shots he'd normally make and looked much more like a human than the indefatigable weapon on both ends that we had become accustomed to watching.

"I thought he got tired in stretches," Lue said.

In the two games he has played, Leonard has averaged 12.5 points on 44% shooting, 6.5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.5 steals in 21 minutes per game.

The Clippers are remaining cautious with their superstar. Leonard missed Tuesday's game against Oklahoma City after feeling stiffness in his right knee during morning shootaround. He will also miss Thursday's game against the Thunder. Lue told reporters that Leonard has not suffered a setback.

For Leonard, it's going to be a long road but he isn't worried about returning to MVP-caliber form. He believes that will come.

Leonard already proved that when he returned from a quadriceps injury that limited him to only nine games with San Antonio in 2017-18 by winning a championship the following season in Toronto.

Leonard's work ethic is renowned.

When San Antonio selected him as the 15th overall pick in the 2011 draft, they were hoping he'd become an elite defender, a Bruce Bowen-type of player. But he greatly defied their expectations, instead transforming into a player who can both stop and score on anyone in the league. Under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, Leonard became the living embodiment of the selfless philosophies and hard work the coach espouses.

Leonard went from averaging 7.9 points as a rookie with the Spurs, to averaging a career-high 27.1 points with the Clippers in 2019-2020. He's a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Star.

Leonard is more intense than any player Parks has ever seen. He said Leonard used to bring his own lamp to the gym at San Diego State to illuminate the court during late-night workouts. Parks used the word "maniacal" to describe Leonard's work ethic, the same word Clippers president Lawrence Frank chose to describe Leonard in June.

Over the last four seasons, Morris has closely witnessed how much his teammate pours himself into his craft. When Morris was asked if Leonard loves the game differently than other NBA players, he paused.

"That's a good question," Morris said. "Sh--, I think so. I hope so. He's one of the best players. That shows love already because it's so many guys that's played. To be one of the Top 75 that's ever played the game, you've got to have a different type of – you've got to be almost insane, you know what I mean? I guess that if insane is love, then yeah."

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One of the greatest two-way players of all time, Kawhi Leonard checks in at No. 32 on Nick's list.

For Leonard, the devastation of the last 16 months is finally in the rearview.

After his second game, in a dimly lit hallway of Crypto.com Arena, Leonard was asked what it means to be back on the court.

His typical stoic expression gave way to a smile.

"It feels great," Leonard said."I've put in a lot of work to be the player I've become today. And not playing and being young is kind of devastating. But I'm back now. So, I'm very happy."

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Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.