“I said it unaware of some of the personal things his family has gotten into” – Stephen A. Smith reflects on his past comments on Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard has dealt with injuries for most of his career and is on the sidelines once again. When the news emerged that he would miss time against the Phoenix Suns, one analyst went on air and made a bold statement.

After Kawhi Leonard missed Game 3 against Phoenix, Stephen A. Smith went on “First Take” and said he is on the list of the worst superstars the NBA has ever seen.

Since Stephen A. made that initial remark on ESPN, things in Leonard’s personal life have been brought to light. Reports emerged over the weekend that his sister had been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murder.

Seeing that Leonard and his family are going through a rough patch right now, Stephen A. went back on the air to offer an apology to the LA Clippers star. While he hasn’t changed his mind, he admits that he wouldn’t have said what he did if he knew what the family had going on behind the scenes at the time:

“I said some things last week about Kawhi as a superstar. I meant every word of it. Having said all that, I said it unaware of some of the personal things his family has gotten into. I had no knowledge of that at the time.

“It doesn’t change my opinion, I was just talking about him as a marketable star, but nevertheless, that subject would have been saved for another day had I known that.”

Is Kawhi Leonard expected to return this year?

Heading into the postseason, the LA Clippers were looked at as a team that could go all the way. However, after two games, their title aspirations quickly fell apart.

The Clippers were already without Paul George to start the playoffs, and then lost Kawhi Leonard after two games. They now find themselves down 3-1 in their first-round series with the Phoenix Suns.

As LA gets ready for Game 5, it doesn’t seem like Leonard is anywhere close to making his return. Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report reported that his knee began swelling after Game 2, and that his absence is beyond just pain tolerance.

Before getting injured, Leonard was one of the top performers in the playoffs. He was averaging 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting 54.5% from the field.

With Leonard and George both out, it is now up to Russell Westbrook and company to keep the Clippers’ season alive.