Stephen A.: Kawhi Leonard is one of the WORST superstars this game has ever seen! 🗣️ | First Take 

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100%

Absolutely! With 7 seasons playing 80+ games, he's one of the most durable baller. They say injury are higher cause the pace is faster now, but there's nobody out there playing with his pace & intensity, they just need to hit the weight. It's just higher income and load managing has made players spoiled and pampered.

Players mindset so diverse. If Kawhi had Russ' heart. Hed have 5 rings, easy

I may criticize his court decisions, but I'll NEVER criticize Russ' heart. Dude loves the game of basketball and will always put 110% on the court for the team and the fans.

I feel like a lot of people could see it coming. It’s hard to believe they were sitting that many games and not losing some of their conditioning/durability. Paul George may just be unfortunate timing but kawhi seems to be hurting from the load management more than anything. He’s struggled to play multiple games without soreness or minor injury all year

@@berthenson9946 Its not that - i think Kawhis done for real- hes gonna play out this contract and maybe quit. I think his knees are rlly done!

@@antonquirgst2812 He need to quit Bro he has been living on load management for the last 7 years back to his days at with the Spurs . Those tickets cost a lot of money and you get to the game and he is on a Steady diet of load management or is on IR . He not only let the fans down but his teammates to . I am a Clippers fan and he really need to just go .

This is not a chump change either 50 to 80 mil a year or more

sad I bet lmfao

Truth. They Bulls had 2 sit MJ after his foot healed up. He played 82+ games multiple seasons even n his Wizards years he played 80 games.

Is there video of jordan saying this?

​@Dominique Jones MJ had a 10% chance of never playing again and still wanted to play...Players these days would never competitiveness left the NBA when Kobe retired

Lebron is a better example! He always played and has played more than Kawai

@@originaltroll7511 that’s just not true. Nice hot take.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

When no one is load managing then its equal. They just should cut it to 60 games

Bruh! That Clippers/Suns series was entertaining, but now it’s ruined.

Balling for 3 games and then back to load management lol

​@@TheHuskyK9 2 games sir, 2 games. 😂

He doesn't mean as a talent talking about his attitude and being unreliable

Kawhi had a career ending type injury and is trying to continue (even won a chip)... how you gonna be mad at him for trying to save his career and play?

Cuz it was a contract year. Guarantee you if be wasn't up for a new deal he misses some of those games

@@timkatonjrHe also wanted to make sure he could get to LA lol

@@timkatonjrI guess he should have stayed in Toronto

maybe because of that he regret it now, making his knees weak

Really brother? KD was out, Klay was out. Kawhi won however that never happens with both teams healthy.

yup. they woefully underachieved in the kawhi/PG era. time to blow it up

At least they broke the curse of not being able to make it to the Conference Finals

@@paulfrank8632 that was your year but kawhi got hurt again.

He won a championship in Toronto and decided to slow retire in LA. Just went there for a paycheck

@@paulfrank8632 only because of a lakers team that wasn’t healthy.

LOL I heard that too

You know Perk gone over exaggerate lol but I love his growth as an analyst

He jus be speaking bro 😂

😂😂😂😂 I thought I misinterpreted that.

@@StayTru101 what growth? didn't he recently just imply that jokic was getting favoritism to win mvp just cuz he's white like with nash too?

It prob won't live up to the hype

@@realestedm1636 just like the teams never lived up to the hype smh

The Clippers have been cursed for over 50 years injuries have just killed them time to trade both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George

they’re not important enough to make one

i think the nba should give the claw a lie detector test. like...." are u really in pain " ????????

U sound dumb

ty lue always looks confused lmfao

There's only so much scheming you can do when BOTH stars are out. Expecting him to win that series against Phoenix is asking for too much. Especially when you couldn't build chemistry because both were in and out of the lineup throughout the regular season

Lowkey 😂😂😂

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Facts, I’m very disappointed in him

On god 😂😂😂

i said the same thing to myself when i herd that he was missing game 3

Of course that’s what it is. But you got bozos like this Stephen A who say say BS like this.

FTF is the best.

The only good talk show

Yes, I liked that perspective too.

Use to be a First Take fan way back when,it's a hard watch now, just on specific topics. First Things First is by far the best sports talk show out, followed by NFL Live with Swagu, Dan,Ryan and Mena...In my opinion

😂😂

😲 😂

Brvh 😂😂😂

😂

Big goofy country Bama. 😂

Why is nurse getting fired? It’s not his fault the team sucks

@@eamcbmsc they prolly gonna restart and rewbuild cause they ain’t building no pieces around siakam the past few seasons

I don’t get it either. As a Toronto fan Nurse isn’t the problem. That 2019 year was magical and I will always be a Kawhi fan.

he was also hobbled a bit that run but he was a beast still

Agreed - I am going to miss Nurse as well The Raptors are going to look very different next season - I think a few key players are going to be traded as well 😮

are you okay? He is clearly hurt.

@@ebukaiwuagwu9371 bullshat..he looked great in both games

@@ghastlygrinder767 no he didn’t. It’s clear where he got injured. The medical team that decided to pull him out know a lot more than purple stinger.

Bro didn't realize Kawhi wasn't playing until the halftime.....I was watching the Warriors game and then was switching between the Clippers game, what a let down

@@ebukaiwuagwu9371 kawhi chooses when he plays. the blaming the med staff is a lie to make him not look bad and keep him happy still holding out hope he'll get them to finals. But they are probably about done. Been doing it since the spurs - he would never play after cleared so they shipped him out

What about the morning after they lost in 2020 “ hitting the side of the backboard “

@@neubauerjoseph What about carrying them to their first western conference finals in franchise history? Boy you seem to hold on to old unfortunate moments, be nice if society treated you the same way.

@@JayNot2Tuff thing is he and others said they would win a championship and maybe 2 … so by that standard big failure 😞 and also he plays good but he isn’t there when they need him. He is this generation grant hill.

Who’s giving you a superstar for kawhi?

@@dkarmusic5424 excellent point. Thank you for the correction.

Nah players take criticism all the time from the media it’s a part of the job

I think he does need to hear this, even if SA doesn't have all the details

Kawhi doesn’t do any social media so he probably only hears about it from word of mouth

I dont think he cares lol

ENOUGH with the "Imagine" copycat comment already

that is true, Kawhi tho, i dont know, i like Kawhi too, as a player, he's amazing player, with Kawhi, idk, hes always hurt

​@@k.d.6881 because he has a degenerative knee apparently. Every year he plays his knee is just gonna keep getting worse

Neither does kawhi. His knee is messed up.

Highly doubt kawhi is purposely missing games

Kawhi is dealing with off-court matters and could be struggling with off-court matters such as depression, so those things contribute to Kawhi not being so focused to win a title... it's so simple being at superstar NBA! By the way, the videos on the playlist on my channel might interest some people!

The man knees are baddd!!!

scripted

It’s not load management you dolts. He has a chronic knee condition. He is perpetually hurt. He plays every single game with little to no synovial fluid in his knee.

@@Joes35 seemed fine with these issues in 2019, so how come even after a year of being away from the game he still can’t get healthy. There’s either more to the situation or he’s just become complacent.

Why yall always ending yall comments with the word “crazy”? Its getting cringey and annoying

Lue is known around the league as a top coach. He'll have no trouble finding work

If he get fired. It will further validate Doc Rivers shouldn't have been fired.

@Aktion Pak I'm not disagreeing with you on that notion. But the reason I said what I said is because the circumstances are still the same. And the Clippers still ain't got no title they haven't even been to the finals yet.

He’s got jobs waiting for him

@@A_Notes the Clippers never been to the WCF in franchise history until a couple of years ago. Doc was coaching them for a decade and couldn’t get them there. Ty Lue got them there. Proves that Doc Rivers was the problem.

Agreed 💯💪💯 And it was one of the greatest one year peak too 💪💯

Not 3 and 2 😂

In his defense, he was a defensive player lol

😂

For real I could average 3 and 2 in 8 min in today NBA

If this continues we might see him load managing in nba finals 😂😂

Not sure “elusive” is the correct word.

Man said “do be” I do be do be do to you to!

you hate Kawhi?

You hate Kawhi ?

​@@kaysheye7784 he sucks You should hate him if you're a clipper fan

That's what happens when you pay someone 180 million guaranteed money for 4 years. These contracts need to be performance based then you wouldn't have players taking night's off playing when they fill like it. He's not the only player doing it .

Uncle Dennis won't let it happen, that's his piggy bank

@Aktion Pak THEY ALWAYS SAY HE CANNOT PLAY. They always say that he should sit out. He never plays through pain. He never plays without being 100%. You cannot rely on a player like that. You cannot respect a player that does not sacrifice for his team in any capacity. You cannot root for a player that plays for himself. That is his personality.

@@PGO_Gaming Are you stupid? Why would someone willing risk their health even more? To prove to a random fan on the internet that he's tough enough? Stop it lol anyone with half a brain wouldn't not respect someone for following protocol and taking care of their body. The man has contributed to three championships, you cannot say anything to Kawhi

@@PGO_Gaming he has a degenerative knee you idiot stfu

@Aktion Pak fans buy tickets, shoes and jerseys which pays him and enables his team to pay him. He chooses not to play even when the team feels he should be playing. Paying to see him play is a constant toss up so fans can definitely speak on it.

Clippers could of had Shai & they gambles their future

Hes been the league 10+ years and still at 11k career pts that's alot of time missed

lookup jay fly red - will you remember , will you remember

The thing is Kawhi is dealing with off-court matters and could well be struggling with personal matters such as depression, so those things contribute to Kawhi not being so focused to playing / winning a title... it's not so simple being an elite NBA player consistently for long time like Lebron! By the way, the videos on the playlist on my channel might interest some people!

It's one of the values that I love about Julius Randle. My man hustles and takes no days off.

He said second hardest but c'mon even that's wild

The people who has the strongest opinions are always the people who never pay attention lmao

Man I was dying! 😂😂

@@aaroncornish I was like "where is he going with this?" 😭😭😭😭

Had me dying. 😂 And Perk says it so seriously like Ty Lue is dealing with an ill family member. 💀

Zion is his first son.

​@@curtiszyr Ben Simmons exists

These other guys don’t have chronic tendinopathy. He had little to no synovial fluid in his knee when he plays. You guys are clowns and sheep

Actually Gregg Poppovich and the spurs started it first

Actually Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill did, when players realized that one bad injury can turn you from GOAT, to "bellhop, fetch me my coat" Also Kawhi obviously has a degenerative knee condition. Y'all weird bruv

I disagree with Stephen A on this one. I think Kyrie Irving is much more worse than Kahwai Leonard.

@@Mrcharles. then you’re slow, cuz Kyrie played most of his games with Dallas when he got traded

​@@Mrcharles. To people who actually know basketball, Kyrie Irving is not a superstar. Flashy handles and great shooting doesn't make one a superstar.

@@blacknetsmed stats bud, ring, and multi all star

What do you want Kawhi to do when he has chronic knees. SAS only says this because Kawhi gets on his nerves because he doesn't get involved in media nonsense

@Chris Don't be hurt, just my opinion bro. Time and time again he's not there for his teammates. Anyone who plays organised team sports can see this

@Chris "for once in my life", you don't know me buddy. You Internet tough guys are insane. This is my own opinion which you have decided to comment on lol, what a retard. Anyway, you're obviously not very smart. Load management has not stopped Kawhi's knee ligaments breaking down. He has a degenerative issue... Therefore he plays when he feels up to it. That is hard for a franchise to plan around

Playin injured is just straight up dumb... if they don't want him they should trade

Bruh lmao

Rob Pelinker

Every time 😂

Jaja Bachulier

Kimber walker 💯

He quit on the spurs? The spurs partially ruined his body permanently in a playoff run and lied to him and made him overuse his body. Unbelievable.

@HipHop2U from what has been reported, even when he became clear to play, he mentally wasn't ready, so he continued to sit out.

@@a.k.446 I wouldn’t be mentally ready to play for a team that quite literally knowingly sacrificed my body for a run to the finals either. Noticed he traded out the very next season?

@@hiphop2u Right, the franchise that invented "load management" to extend Tim, Manu and Tony's careers, they are the ones that ruined Kawhi's career. Fact is, he is a quitter and a drama queen. It's hilarious that now that he's doing it to the big market Clippers, now he's being called out for it.

@@hiphop2u Looking at it now. It was the best that Kawhi quit playing for the Spurs. If he had not, San Antonio would never got Wembanyana.

Because the front office makes him goofball

its rigged/scripted

@@WhoIsRah is this how you leave a “positive mark” what a troll

Must be a quiet news day for Stephen A

​@@astroboi66 oh so you one of those lol. Man take a nap

😂😂😂

I don’t think that’s where he got it from but he’s definitely using the injury bug as an excuse when it comes to family matters.

I almost forgot about Paul George until you reminded me.

I said this the first year together Don't care how talented they are. Injuries and never having good chemistry cause your stars is out will never win you a ring

you're

Exactly. I said this when the trade was made.

​@@RoseCurry5 nah fr

No chance his jersey gets retired 😂 you kidding me?

Only Franchise that might retire his jersey is Toronto

Kawhi squandered Tony and Manu's last season together with the ridiculous stuff he pulled, purposefully tanked his trade value and trashed the organization and the medical staff on the way out. He looked so great in 2019 because he wanted us to pay him $17 million to rehab in 2018 and then go win a title with someone else. #2 might go in the rafters someday, but not with his name on it. Wholeheartedly agree though, ultimately we're better off in the long run. Ironically, we would have supported him throughout this rough part of his career, just not for the supermax. We absolutely loved that dude, introverted superstars who just care about ball and being a good teammate and shun the limelight are our bread and butter. He wanted all the money anyway even if he wasn't reliable, regardless of what it did to a franchise. You're better off too, Raptors fans, might not seem like it now but it was never going to be that good again.

@@richrich359 even with that great run they had, it might be too silly for them to retire the number of a player who only played 1 season with them

I like how Molly don’t talk no more

If? This series is over in 5.

Have you heard of Brandon Roy or Bill Walton?

@@unseenyt3 Brandon Roy wasn’t a superstar! Walton definitely up there tho

@@unseenyt3 im ready for history lessons

T Mac entered this chat

@@EasyMoneySniperJR they're both good/great players that had their entire careers essentially derailed by injuries and lack of availability.. Kawhi might just be another on that list.

Before or after the joker comment? Lol

*REALEST, not REALIST. Most real. Not someone who practices realism, or is more balanced than an optimist or pessimist.

That was a good remark by him 👍

My preference brand is p.f.flyers ! Tennis 🎾 shoes 👞

@@kevinlindsey6862 vintage! I can dig it

I’ll never forget when folks were trying to make those dad shoes a fashion trend 💀💀

Kawhi is fooling you. He's stealing money from the clippers to sit

​​​​@@johnlinks you can't be one of the best players ever without enjoying competiting against other great players. His knees are absolutely MESSED UP since zaza injured him 6 years ago.

@@flexermc4333 if his knees are messed up then how come he's out there dunking on dudes?

@johnlinks … he ain’t fooling anyone , he’s been like this since day 1 … so anyone who gives him money, well that’s on them for believing her change

Best player in the world? Relax

lmao no please

Wasn’t really a superstar with the spurs yet. He was a rising star +there really load management crazy back then. He would of carried them too if Zaza didn’t do what he did.

What the heck does this mean? How have people not realised that one this a freak injury just like anything else and that Kawhi lower body is bad condition.

Nobody feels bad for the spurs

​@@sneakyninja0866 Kawhi was absolutely a superstar his last 2 seasons in San Antonio's.

@BlackGenius LOL wasn't saying people should feel bad for the Spurs.

He invented Load Managing..

I don't agree with Stephen A on this. Because he wouldn't say that when Kawhi is on the court and balling out like he always does. Because Stephen A is only going off like this is when Kawhi isn't on the court and that's why.

​@@thefighter5182 nah Stephen A is just saying spitting facts. Kawhi load manages throughout the entire season then still manages to get injured every single time. The last time the clippers were fully healthy the blew a 3-1 lead to denver.

@@pug6322 maybe because his knees are done?

​@Pug yea, they chocked against Denver

Free c mac

He's missed over 90 games in the last three seasons and has been missing the playoffs before this year. LeChina James hasn't played more than 60 games in a season since the 2019 season.

And even though he doesn't always play well, I appreciate Westbrook for going out there every time. If he ever misses any time, you know it has to be serious.

@@ScottParisi legoat still won a championship since then

🙄 can we please get one segment about another player without some rando bringing their appreciation for LeBron in it

@@jtremaine23, totally agree. Russ infrequently gets his due. The Clippers are down now but he's balling for sure.

You gotta remember Stephen A is high off fame when he makes these claims.

Ky, Kawhi & Simmons = The Worse

@@yvonne2965Kyrie is a baller and stands on what he believes. World would be a better place if we did so to

surely hes not doing to gain views? surely you dont believe everything reporters say? people like you is the reason he even has any views or tv time. cause dumbasses believe and take what these reporters say to heart lmao

Two totally different situations. I took Stephen A years to say this king of stuff about Kawhi.

I think these dudes should be counseled back to reality

The entire NBA would line up like puppets to have kawhi on their team STILL which in fact means you and Steven A are delusional.

Yep people still hating on Tony Parker for speaking the truth.

Real easy to say a player punked out when it wasn't your body on the line. Too many fans and analysts think it's up to them to decide when it's time for athletes to get back in the game and entertain them. Remember when KD came back too soon in The Finals for Golden State, so he wouldn't be called a "quitter"?...How'd that work out for him? I'd get it if you were questioning a guy like Ben Simmons' integrity...but Kawhi's injuries legit happened during games.

@@douglasbryant9571 the guy load manages half the season, we don’t see a lot of the injuries, and don’t forget what he did to the Spurs. If anyone deserved to be scrutinized it’s him

lookup jay fly red - will you remember , will you remember

​@Trevor V facts he quit on them in 2017 and in 2018 he literally missed the whole season over a sprained knee

Definitely not

its scripted

Thats how im looking at it. Load management all season long so he'd be good for the playoffs and 2 games into the playoffs hes injured. Clippers will never win with their current cast and it has to do with attendance of two of their star players. Its not gonna get better with these injuries down the road, its only gonna get worse. May as well begin a rebuild because this is as far as this current Clippers team is gonna go. Sad to say but i am 100% behind how i feel about this and im sure there are other CLipper fans who feel the same way.

A player getting injured is not load management

@Davies Ugo… he wasn’t injured all season … so he was load managing … also if this injury is a pain tolerance issue and he chooses not to play I’d count that as laid management

We need to get rid of PG and Kawhi this summer.

👏👏

Lebron has also gotten injured or sat out games, resulting in Lakers getting bounced in the 1st round in 2018-2019, missing the playoffs in 2020-2021, and missing the play in tournament last year 2021-2022.

he is mad because Kawhi was outplaying his guy KD

Playing through the pain is idiotic if it's a leg injury, hand or face is alright but if you're legs is what's injury prone, you'll ruin your career if you play on it because your limbs aren't built to do so. It's just how you're born

@@DC-YTC I agree you don't play through injury, but you do play through pain is what he's saying. Kawaii is not injured, his knee is sore

@@varunaX the soreness comes from a chronic injury though

@@DC-YTC if an mba player haws stitches they’re out for the season

He came back to finish the game

PG said he prefers to be the #2 option on a team.

PG is the most overrated player in the NBA. Guy is decent, when he plays, but that ain't often, and he's not a world beater when he actually does play. PG shouldn't be a max player, and at best should be the third option on a good team

@@c-meezy765 yea but I’m 2018-19 he could’ve probably gotten a contract somewhere and been the man

@@webcrawler2007 you’re stupid lmao

@The Goat Nah I agree. I'm just saying, he wants to win a chip more than he wants to be the guy.

You moved to a state to watch a guy play basketball..

😂😂😂

@@isaaca1395 Thank you! I was just hoping someone would remember that clip. Sometimes this isn’t the smartest crowd 😂

Just dropped by to leave a laughing emoji in honor of you believing in the clippers. 😂

Do you think the Lakers should do the same with AD? It's not like you can call him Mr durable either.

Get off the fanbagon

What other star could the clippers get ? Injuries unfortunately are part of the game. Unfortunately it happens to the best players on the team. Question if the 76ers don't advance to the conference finals should they trade Joel? Start over?

that's besides the point. it was a 5 point game without Kawhi and PG, so Clippers have enough depth. the problem is that the Clippers trusted Kawhi to take them to the promised land and it has not happened. Kawhi had an awesome run with the Raps and Clippers thought he could replicate that again. However more was expected from Kawhi, than just what he did for the Raps. Clippers literally blew up their future in SGA(who's better than Kawhi and Pg combined right now). Raps didn't need Kawhi to lead cos they already had a culture in place. Clippers didn't. They can't blow up this core yet because they don't have draft picks and they won't win in the following years cos the younger teams are coming up real fast. This season is their best chance for Clippers to win, but with Kawhi as their leader i doubt it. if Clippers really want another star, sign Kyrie, another star player who takes games off whenever. That'll be real entertaining lol.

Just now we will see a new team in the NBA load management staring kawhi Zion. Ben Simmons CP3. I will put all the injury prone players on that team it will be a dam good team but how often they all will play 😂

fr out of pocket.