Kawhi after NBA revealed knee injury: 'It was shocking'
The NBA fined the Los Angeles Clippers $50,000 on Thursday for statements that were "inconsistent" with superstar Kawhi Leonard's health, including one head coach Doc Rivers made.
The league also released a statement detailing the reigning Finals MVP's ongoing patella tendon injury in his left knee, which Leonard wanted to keep private.
"I mean it was shocking, but it doesn't matter to me," Leonard told reporters after Thursday's win over the Portland Trail Blazers, including ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "I'm not a guy that reads the media anyway. We're going to manage it the best way we can to keep me healthy and that's the most important thing, me being healthy moving forward."
Rivers said Leonard felt "great" prior to Wednesday's prime-time showdown against the Milwaukee Bucks, a game the All-Star sat out due to load management.
The league determined Rivers' comments contradicted its load management protocol. However, Leonard doesn't think it's right that the bench boss was punished, especially when Rivers and the organization are looking out for him.
"For me, I'm on his side, you know what I mean?" Leonard said. "I'm a Clipper, he's my coach. That's just disappointing. It feels like they want players to play if they're not ready.
"It is what it is. Like I said, I don't read into it. I got to do what makes me healthy and is going to help the team be successful and that's me being able to play basketball games for us."
The Clippers will play 13 more back-to-back games this season, and there's no definitive plan for Leonard to avoid appearing in both contests, sources told The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Sam Amick.
A quad injury limited Leonard to just nine games in the 2017-18 campaign, and he experienced soreness in his left knee during last season's Eastern Conference finals stemming from overcompensating for his injured right quad, sources told The Athletic's Joe Vardon and Amick.
Leonard is averaging 29 points, 8.1 boards, 5.4 assists, and 2.1 steals across seven appearances for the Clippers this season.