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Kawhi Leonard has had surgery to repair a partially-torn ACL, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Leonard suffered the injury while landing awkwardly with 5:25 remaining in Game 4 of the Los Angeles Clippers’ second-round playoffs series versus the Utah Jazz. The Clippers won that series, but would fall in the Conference Finals to the Phoenix Suns in six games, all without Leonard. Speculation surrounded the nature of his injury until Charania reported the ACL tear today.
Kawhi Leonard had surgery to repair a partially torn right ACL.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 14, 2021
Recovery time for ACL injuries is variable, but can last up to a year. No recovery schedule has been reported at this point.
The 30-year-old forward is a five-time NBA All-Star. He has twice won NBA Defensive Player of the Year and has been named the MVP of the NBA Finals twice, once in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs and again in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors. He was also the MVP of the 2020 All-Star Game.
Leonard averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 34.1 minutes per game over 52 appearances with the Clippers this season.