Kawhi Leonard cannot catch a break from the injury bug.
Just as the superstar forward was looking like he was back to full strength, averaging a 2023 NBA Playoff-high 34.5 points over the first two games, Leonard will be out for Game 3 against the Suns with another ailment.
On Thursday, Leonard surprisingly popped up on LA's injury report with a right knee sprain. Although it is the same knee as the ACL injury that kept Leonard sidelined for the entire 2021-22 season, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said this current ailment is not related.
This marks the third time in Leonard's career that an injury has caused him to miss time in the postseason.
The Sporting News has you covered with the complete timeline of Leonard's severe injuries.
Kawhi Leonard injury history timeline
2017 NBA Playoffs: Sprained left ankle
Aside from a left quadriceps injury that kept Leonard sidelined for 18 games during his second year in the NBA, the star forward had a relatively clean bill of health from major injuries through his first five seasons.
That was, until the 2017 NBA Playoffs, where an ankle injury potentially cost Leonard a second NBA championship ring with the Spurs.
Leonard injured his left ankle in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Rockets and it forced him to miss Game 6. San Antonio was able to close out Houston without Leonard to advance to the Conference Finals, but that ankle injury came back to bite him.
Leonard looked dominant in Game 1 of the Conference Finals against the Warriors, pouring in 26 points in 24 minutes to get the Spurs out to a commanding 21-point lead early in the third quarter. San Antonio was in a great position to steal the series-opener on the road until Leonard landed on Zaza Pachulia's foot on a 3-point attempt.
With Leonard sidelined for the remainder of the game, the Warriors would complete an improbable second-half comeback to take Game 1. Leonard did not return in the series and Golden State went on to sweep San Antonio, advancing to win its second NBA title.
After the season, the NBA implemented what is now known as "The Zaza Rule," giving defenders a flagrant foul for reckless closeouts on shooters.
2017-18: Right quadriceps injury
Leonard missed the start of the following season due to a right quadriceps injury, which eventually caused a controversial ending to his time in San Antonio.
Leonard missed the first 27 games of the season before easing his way back onto the floor. He played sparingly for a month — only appearing in nine games — before being shut down for the season, missing 73 games during the 2017-18 campaign.
The Spurs and Leonard's camp reportedly disagreed "about the exact nature of the injury," which led to the Finals MVP's departure from San Antonio.
Leonard was then traded from the Spurs to the Raptors in the 2018 offseason.
2018-19: The beginning of load management
Ahead of his first season in Toronto, the Raptors implemented a "load management" plan for Leonard's right quad. The star forward didn't appear in any back-to-backs for the entire regular season and also missed additional games for rest.
Leonard only appeared in 60 of 82 available regular season games, but the strategy paid off as he carried the Raptors to their first championship in franchise history.
"It was big," Leonard said of the load management strategy ahead of the 2019 NBA Finals. "When it got bad, we ended up taking, you know, four or five games off. And, you know, if we didn't do that, I wouldn't be here right now.
"... I don't think I'd be playing right now if I would've tried to go through that season [without it]."
2021 NBA Playoffs: Partially torn ACL
After signing with the Clippers in the 2019 offseason, Leonard had trouble staying on the floor.
He only appeared in 57 of 72 regular season games in 2020, but he was available for all 13 of LA's playoff games when the season continued in the bubble.
In 2021, he appeared in 52 of 72 regular season games, but the star forward looked sharp as ever come playoff time. Leonard was averaging 30.4 points per game in the 2021 NBA Playoffs before he suffered a partially torn ACL in the Conference Semifinals.
The ACL injury ended up costing Leonard the entire 2021-22 season.
