TORONTO.- Kawhi Leonardthe star of the Toronto Raptors, He will be out for at least a week due to inflammation in his left knee, so he will be absent from Monday’s visit to his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 35-year-old forward played in the first two games of the new season of the NBA with averages of 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, but on Sunday he missed Toronto’s first loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Leonard will undergo a treatment and rehabilitation program to address inflammation in his left knee,” the Raptors said in a statement Tuesday. “Imaging tests did not reveal any acute injuries and Leonard will be re-evaluated in a week.”
Sources told ESPN that Leonard’s sideline will last several weeks. The player had already had serious problems with his right knee that led him to undergo multiple operations on the meniscus and the anterior cruciate ligament.
This Tuesday, Leonard himself addressed a message to the fans of Toronto, the franchise to which he has just returned after his controversial departure from the Clippers.
“It’s always frustrating to miss time,” Leonard wrote on social media. “I came back to compete with this team and I’m focused on getting back to 100. Toronto, I’ve been grateful for the love since I came back. I’ll be back soon.”
sweet return
The Raptors made a strong investment to bring back the forward, leader of the only ring in franchise history in 2019, and gave him a two-year contract extension for $115 million last month.
Winner of another title with Saint Anthony in 2014 and a seven-time All-Star, Leonard will not be on the court in the only visit of this regular phase to the Clippers, the franchise that is paying a historic penalty for having made covert payments to the player.
The forward emerged practically unscathed from this scandal for which the NBA withdrew five first-round draft picks from the Clippers and suspended its owner, the billionaire, for a year. Steve Ballmer.
