Stephen A Smith Went In On Kawhi Leonard (Again) And Now Suggests He's The Worst Superstar In The History Of Any Sport

Jacob Kupferman. Getty Images.

You know what? I'm starting to think Stephen A isn't the biggest fan of Kawhi Leonard. We all know about Skip vs LeBron, but now that LeBron's career is winding down and Skip isn't on TV at the moment, perhaps Stephen A vs Kawhi is poised to take its place as one of the weirdest media vs NBA player beefs we have?

You'll remember back in April 2023 Stephen A went on a rant suggesting Kawhi was the worst superstar in the history of basketball, and the reasons he listed for it were rather insane

One second his injuries are legit, the next second it's bullshit he missed time due to his injuries. His demeanor? What? Things start to fall apart pretty quickly when you actually listen to his reasoning and then you compare it to other NBA players who have dealt with many of the same issues. It was a tad bizarre.

Well, after another Kawhi injury issue where nobody seems to have any legit idea when he's going to see the floor again for the Clippers, Stephen A is not only back, but he's ready to take it up a notch

Forget being the worst superstar in the history of basketball (not true), now Kawhi is the worst superstar in the history of any sport. I mean, on one hand, I respect Stephen A for being committed to this bit in the same way it is somewhat impressive how Skip has been able to hate on LeBron for 20+ years, but also…..what the hell is Stephen A talking about?

A superstar used their leverage in the open market to successfully build the team he wants? How is that different from literally any other superstar who has been in Kawhi's position? Teams didn't cater to whatever KD wanted during his free agency? Or LeBron? Raging that the Clippers had to trade SGA to bring in Paul George and Kawhi is insane to me. No shit they had to include good players! Kawhi had just won a title and George was one of the best two way players in the league. Guess what, that costs something! Just because SGA turned into the SGA we see now isn't somehow Kawhi's fault. Unfortunately NBA GMs can't use hindsight when deciding whether or not to make a trade. Crazy, I know.

It's also not Kawhi's job to make sure George got his own deal? That's why there are agents. George has just as much injury risk as Kawhi, and when both are healthy he's not as good as Kawhi, so the Clippers obviously didn't see them the same. That's Kawhi's fault? To then suck the dick of LeBron like he hasn't had his own roster demands, gotten coaches fired, gotten players traded, thrown teammates under the bus etc was crazy. Yes, LeBron is available and he plays. That's a testament to the work he puts in and the fact that he's a freak of nature, but it's not like Kawhi is asking to get hurt or is choosing to not play. Some guys just can't shake the injury bug. It's happened to stars all throughout NBA history.

It really makes you wonder what has happened that has sparked this level of hatred. Did Stephen A get burned on a story? Is he mad that Kawhi's camp doesn't talk to him? There's got to be something more than just "Kawhi is hurt and he forced the Clippers to give up a lot to bring him in" if you're going to suggest that this guy

is the worst superstar in the history of any sport. That just doesn't make any legitimate sense. It's almost as if Stephen A was making his speech at the Playa Haters' Ball or something. That's the vibe I get listening to these rants