Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard recently pulled out of the Team USA Paris Olympics squad due to his nagging injuries, which has drawn concerned reactions from the NBA community.

One of them is Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce, who posited the idea during his latest appearance on FOX’s Undisputed that Kawhi Leonard might have to consider walking away from basketball for good if he cannot stay healthy.
“Kawhi should start thinking about retirement. This is just for the guy’s health. Think about how much, he’s missed 44% of the games. Like that’s your body telling you, like it’s hard to get through an 82-game season,” Pierce said.
“You really got to think about the long run for yourself, and this is not a knock on him, but you really gotta start thinking like you still a young man in society. Like, you don’t want to be limping around, looking bad as a young man in society,” he added.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith shared the same idea as Pierce’s before but was criticized for it. Still, no one can deny that Kawhi Leonard has been injury-prone these past few years.
Kawhi Leonard is unlikely to retire soon because of his new contract with the Los Angeles Clippers
Despite huge injury concerns, Kawhi Leonard is expected to spend a few more years with the Los Angeles Clippers because he signed a three-year extension worth $152.4 million earlier this summer.

Believe it or not, Kawhi Leonard is coming off his healthiest regular season campaign in a Los Angeles Clippers uniform. In 2023-24, the six-time NBA All-Star played 68 regular season games, averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 52.5 shooting from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point land.
With Paul George leaving for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Clippers hope that Kawhi Leonard is healthy for the majority of next season to contend in the Western Conference.