Dray points out the brutal irony of Perk claiming Kawhi should retire originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green did not hold back in 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 Leonard had to hang up the show due to recurring knee injuries.
“The moment was when Kendrick Perkins told Kawhi Leonard to retire,” Green told Davis. “I was stunned when I heard him say that, because as an athlete I just think that’s a guy that people wondered if he was cheating.
“But if you look at this, this is clearly what has happened over time. The man didn’t cheat the game, he got better from the moment he entered the NBA, he improved everything: ball handling, shooting, you name it. And he started getting hurt, winning championships and not being the healthiest guy. People wonder if he was really pretending or not, and it’s clear the man wasn’t pretending.”
Leonard has drawn the ire of many around the league for his approach of sitting out games to rest his body and manage 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 missing more games due to his knee problems, Perkins and others have wondered whether he should consider retiring, something that doesn’t sit well with Green.
“To hear Perk say, ‘Yes, he should retire, he should consider retiring,’ I thought that was crazy,” Green continued. “Because Perk, his last three years in the NBA, no one pushed him into retirement. And everyone probably should have. The guy averaged 2.5 points [per game] three years in a row and no one forced you to retire.
“Boys like it [LeBron James] And [Kevin Durant] actually invited him to their teams, just like them [were] kind of cheerleading for him. And to retire this guy, the way the guy clearly wants to play.”
When healthy, Leonard is still one of the elite players in the league, capable of taking over a game through sheer willpower. However, recurring knee problems from recent seasons have made it difficult for him to stay on the field for any length of time.
The small forward remains out indefinitely with a knee infection and will not start when the Clippers begin the 2024-25 NBA season against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
Green respects Leonard’s physical playing style and is frustrated by the idea that anyone else should have a say in his fate in the NBA.
The Warriors will play the Clippers four times in the 2024-25 season, but it remains to be seen if Leonard will be available for any of those games. If not, it won’t bother Green too much.
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