Clippers star Kawhi Leonard to miss start of NBA regular season due to knee problem – NBC 7 San Diego

The Los Angeles Clippers play their final preseason game on Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings. All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard will not be on the roster.

In fact, the team isn't sure when he'll be back on the floor.

Leonard, a former San Diego State All-American whose No. 15 was retired by the Aztecs, has been dealing with a right knee injury that has kept him off the field since the playoff series loss to the Dallas Mavericks last April. Leonard was originally named to the United States Olympic team, but was unable to participate in the gold medal run in Paris due to injury.

Leonard underwent knee surgery in the offseason and in early October seemed to indicate that his return to action was not that far away.

“I feel good,” Leonard said in a halftime interview during LA’s exhibition game against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 6. “I just took my time, got stronger and prepared. We're just taking it slow, day by day and just trying to get myself back down to earth.

The Clippers will play their first regular season game, which will be their first in the brand new Intuit Dome, on October 23rd against the Phoenix Suns. The Clips hoped to have their most successful and well-known superstar on the program for this historic occasion.

Leonard, 33, is coming off a year in which he played in 68 games, the third-highest total of his 13-year career. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a torn ACL and was limited to two playoff games in 2023 with a torn meniscus.