Draymond Green responds to Kendrick Perkins' suggestion of retiring Kawhi Leonard – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

Draymond Green didn't hold back his criticism of ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins' suggestion that Kawhi Leonard should retire from the NBA.

The Golden State superstar called out Perkins on The Draymond Green Show for saying Leonard should quit because of recurring knee injuries.

“The moment was when Kendrick Perkins told Kawhi Leonard that he had to retire,” Green told Davis. “I was taken aback when I heard him say that because as an athlete I just think of it as a guy that people are asking if he cheated the game.

“But when you look at it, it’s clear that this happened over time. The man didn't cheat on the game, he's improved since entering the NBA, he's improved everything: ball handling, shooting, you name it. And he started getting hurt, winning championships, and not exactly the healthiest guy. People wonder whether he was really faking or not, and obviously the man wasn’t faking.”

Leonard has drawn the ire of many around the league with his approach of sitting out games to rest his body and deal with recurring injuries. Since signing with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, Leonard has yet to play a full 82-game regular season.

With the 33-year-old now missing more games due to his knee problems, Perkins and others have asked whether he should consider retiring, which Green doesn't like.

“To hear Perk say, 'Yeah, he needs to retire, he needs to think about retiring,' I thought that was crazy,” Green continued. “Because in his last three years in the NBA, no one urged Perk to retire, and everyone probably should have. The man averaged 2.5 points (per game) for three years and no one urged him to retire.

“People like (LeBron James) and (Kevin Durant) actually invited him onto their teams, like they were kind of cheering him on. And to push this man into retirement because the man obviously wants to play.”

When healthy, Leonard is still one of the league's elite players, capable of taking over a game through sheer force of will. However, recurring knee problems in recent seasons have made it difficult for him to stay on the pitch for long periods of time.

The small forward is out indefinitely with knee inflammation and will not start when the Clippers begin the 2024-25 NBA season on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.

Green respects Leonard's physical style of play and chafed at the idea that anyone else should have a say in his NBA fate.

The Warriors are scheduled to play the Clippers four times during the 2024-25 season, but it remains to be seen whether Leonard will be available for any of those games. If not, Green won't be too upset about it.

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