Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard has swelling in his left knee, and the Toronto Raptors will re-evaluate him in one week. The team said tests showed no acute injury [7]. Reports disagree on how long he will be out, so this page separates what the team said from what was reported.

The knee news, step by step

Leonard was a late scratch for Toronto's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, 25 October, because of left knee swelling [3] [6]. In the game before, a win over Washington on Friday, he played 28 minutes [9] and scored 16 points on 5-of-17 shooting [5]. TSN gives 19 points in 27 minutes and 41 seconds for that game [6], so the sources differ on the box score.

On Tuesday the Raptors said he would be sidelined for at least a week [4]. He will go through "a treatment and rehabilitation program to address swelling" [7]. The re-evaluation in one week does not set a return date [5]. Coach Darko Rajakovic said Leonard would undergo further testing, with an update to follow, and his status for Wednesday against the Orlando Magic was still uncertain [9].

The longer outlook is less clear. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Leonard is expected to miss "a period of weeks", and that an MRI showed no structural damage [8]. Fadeaway World, citing the same report, described the absence as several weeks [5]. The one-week check is the team's stated timeline. The several-week figure comes from the report, not from the team.

The 2026-27 season so far

San Antonio traded him to the Raptors on 18 July 2018 [1]. Team USA's profile says he has played for three teams: San Antonio, Toronto and the LA Clippers [2]. NBC Sports reports that Toronto traded for him this summer [3]. He scored 23 points in Toronto's season-opening win over the Chicago Bulls [5].

Across his first two games he averaged 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, but he shot 32.4 percent [3]. NBC's reporter wrote that he "looked like his All-NBA self from a season ago" in process and shot selection, and that the shots "just weren't falling" [3]. Against Washington he scored 16 points on 5-of-17 shooting [5].

Games at stake

NBC reports that Leonard is expected to miss Toronto's two home games against Orlando this week [3]. The Raptors then play back-to-back games in Los Angeles against the Lakers and Clippers, so he would miss his only game at Intuit Dome this season [3]. After that come road games in Denver and Milwaukee, which the article says he "may well miss" [3]. These are projections in the article, not team decisions.

A long history of knee problems

The AP describes Leonard as having "a long history of knee problems" [8]. NBC reports that he had not missed time with a left knee issue since before the pandemic, and that his knee management has usually involved the right knee [3]. The current swelling is therefore unusual for him, according to that account.

Riverside, San Diego State and the draft

Leonard was born on 29 June 1991 in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of five children [1]. He began playing basketball at Canyon Springs High School as a sophomore and finished at Riverside King, where he won California's "Mr. Basketball" award in his senior year [1].

At San Diego State he led the Aztecs to back-to-back Mountain West tournament championships [1]. He declared for the 2011 NBA Draft after a Sweet 16 run [1]. Early in his NBA career he kept driving the Chevrolet Malibu from college. Friends eventually persuaded him to buy a Porsche, which he drove only on game days [1].

On draft night the San Antonio Spurs traded for him, sending George Hill to the Indiana Pacers [1]. The league's account says Gregg Popovich called that trade the toughest decision of his Spurs tenure [1]. Leonard finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and made the 2012 All-Rookie First Team [1].

Work habits in San Antonio

In San Antonio, Leonard trained alongside Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker [1]. Assistant coach Chip Engelland had him study the shooting forms of Kobe Bryant and Richard Jefferson [1]. Engelland said Leonard had not been "tricked by any of the NBA glamour or bright lights, big city" [1].

Two titles with two teams

In 2014 the Spurs beat Miami 4-1 in the Finals. Leonard averaged 17.8 points on 61.2 percent shooting in that series [1]. At 22 he became the youngest Finals MVP since Magic Johnson in 1980 [1].

A re-aggravated ankle injury in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference finals caused him to miss the rest of that series. He also missed nine games in 2017-18 [1]. After he requested a trade, San Antonio sent him to Toronto [1]. He led the Raptors to their first NBA championship in 2019 [1]. Leonard became one of three players, with LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to win Finals MVP with two different teams [1]. He also won Defensive Player of the Year twice [1].

Honours beyond the titles

Team USA's profile lists Leonard as a five-time NBA All-Star, selected in 2016-17 and 2019-21 [2]. He was a three-time All-NBA First Team pick (2016, 2017 and 2021) and a two-time All-NBA Second Team pick (2019 and 2020) [2]. The profile also places him on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team [2].

His high school career was decorated too. The Los Angeles Times named him Player of the Year in his senior season, 2008-09, and CalHiSports.com named him the 2009 Mr. Basketball state player of the year [2].