Draymond Green did not hold back his criticism of ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins' suggestion that Kawhi Leonard retire from the NBA.
The Golden State superstar called out Perkins on "The Draymond Green Show" for saying that Leonard should hang it up due to recurring knee injuries.
“The moment was Kendrick Perkins telling Kawhi Leonard he needs to retire,” Green told Davis. “I was baffled when I heard him say that because I just think as an athlete, to know that a guy who people questioned whether he’s cheated the game.
“But clearly as you look at this, this is what has happened over time. The man hasn’t cheated the game, he got better from the time he came into the NBA, he improved everything: Ball handling, shooting, you name it. And he started to get hurt, won championships, hasn’t been the healthiest guy. People question whether he was really faking or not, and clearly the man wasn’t faking.”
Leonard has drawn the ire of many around the league for his approach, sitting out games to rest his body and manage recurring injuries. Since signing with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, Leonard has yet to suit up for an entire 82-game regular season.
Now that the 33-year-old is missing more games due to his knee issues, Perkins and others have questioned if he should contemplate retiring, something that does not sit well with Green.
“To hear Perk say, ‘Yeah, he needs to retire, he needs to consider retiring,’ I thought that was crazy," Green continued. "Because Perk, his last three years in the NBA, nobody was pushing him into retirement, and everybody probably should have. The man averaged 2.5 points [per game] for three years straight and nobody was pushing you to retire.
Golden State Warriors
“Guys like [LeBron James] and [Kevin Durant] were actually inviting him to their teams, like they [were] kind of cheerleading for him. And to push this man into retirement, like obviously the man wants to play.”
When healthy, Leonard still is one of the elite players in the league, capable of taking over a game through sheer force of will. However, recurring knee issues over the past few seasons have made it difficult for him to stay on the court for any meaningful amount of time.
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The small forward remains out indefinitely with knee inflammation and will not start when the Clippers begin the 2024-25 NBA season Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.
Green respects Leonard’s physical style of play and bristled at the notion that anyone else should have a say in his NBA fate.
The Warriors are slated to play the Clippers four times during the 2024-25 season, though it remains to be seen if Leonard will be available for any of those contests. If he’s not, Green won’t be too broken up about it.
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