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Stephen A. Smith has been a serious critic of Kawhi Leonard for the previous few years. He has questioned Leonard’s dedication to the NBA because the 2x Finals MVP has missed a ton of video games throughout his Los Angeles Clippers tenure. In an ungainly second through the NBA Finals, the ESPN analyst joked about Leonard’s persistent unavailability whereas Paul George was sitting beside him on dwell tv.
George laughed awkwardly whereas the incident transpired on NBA Countdown and mildly protested the jibe. Nevertheless, afterward, the 34-year-old revealed in his podcast that he wished that Stephen A. Smith kept away from making such damaging feedback about his long-term teammate.
PG additionally clarified that The Klaw desires to play each recreation however his accidents have pressured him to be sidelined. Due to this fact, the veteran analyst ought to have proven sensitivity in the direction of his mate, who isn’t sitting out as a result of he desires to.
On his The Stephen A. Smith Present, Smith just lately performed the clip the place George conveyed his displeasure concerning the ridiculing feedback in the direction of his teammate after which addressed them. He apologized to PG for placing him in an uncomfortable state of affairs.
The 56-year-old admitted that in hindsight, he made a mistake and had forgotten concerning the pleasant relationship between the teammates. Stephen A. mentioned,
“Paul George is true…I put him in a foul spot…I do owe him an apology for that as knowledgeable, that’s Kawhi Leonard’s teammate and it was the farthest factor from my thoughts, desirous about how Paul would look on the set with us trigger I’m simply being light-hearted and having a very good time.”
Subsequently, Smith mentioned that he introduced up the subject as a result of ESPN had simply informed him that Leonard won’t be accessible for the Olympics as nicely. That’s why he received carried away by the second with out caring concerning the optics.
Nevertheless, after issuing a number of apologies to PG-13, Stephen A. hummed the identical outdated tune about Leonard. He acknowledged that Leonard’s accidents had been certainly critical but in addition identified that Clippers star has at all times demanded some huge cash for his companies and has additionally steered the franchise within the method that fits him.
Smith reminded people that the 2x Finals MVP pressured the Clippers to herald Paul George. Thus, with such lofty ultimatums, Stephen A. anticipated Leonard to look extra ceaselessly than he has accomplished all through his Clippers tenure. In spite of everything, looking back, the crew gave up 2024 MVP Finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to land George.
The Clippers Ahead has been coping with a critical knee irritation. He performed in 60+ video games for the primary time in his Clippers tenure however then his knees gave out with the 2024 playoffs on the cusp.
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