Kawhi Leonard did not travel with his team to Toronto for Friday’s road game against the Raptors. After playing 24 consecutive contests without a miss, the LA Clippers star had to sit out due to an ankle sprain. More reports about Leonard’s injury surfaced after the Clippers’ win over the Raptors, sending panic waves across the fanbase.

According to The Athletic’s Law Murray, in addition to the ankle sprain, Leonard has also been dealing with a knee contusion for the last few games.

The Clippers star reportedly suffered a knee injury last week during the game against the Detroit Pistons. But despite his physical struggles, Leonard had been pushing through.

A healthy Kawhi Leonard is a must for the Clippers if they want any chance of keeping themselves in playoff contention. He has been the engine behind their remarkable run in the last few weeks.

The Clippers started their season with a 6-21 record. However, once Leonard found his footing, they have lost only 2 games. They are currently ranked 10th in the West with an 18-23 record. Between December 20 and January 1, the Clippers won five consecutive games. During that streak, Leonard became the only player in NBA history after Kobe Bryant to average at least 40 points a game while shooting at least 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line and have a five-game winning streak.

Now, while the injury news, especially related to Leonard, is never good, there was still a bit of silver lining in Murray’s update.

According to the reporter, the team had listed the NBA star day-to-day on the injury list. A fan welcomed the news, thinking, “ok so hopefully it’s not that serious.”

However, it’s hard to ignore the time and the seriousness of the injury if it concerns a player of Leonard’s caliber. The Clipper fans quickly pressed the panic button on social media after the update.

Clipper fans fear the end of the Clippers’ run after Kawhi Leonard’s injury news

If there is one player who has received backlash for load management, there is barely a player with a score higher than Leonard. He is one of the highest-paid athletes in the NBA, but the availability issue has been his most dominant storyline since he arrived in Los Angeles. “His knees are cooked man,” was the reaction of a fan after the latest update, and it wasn’t hyperbolic. During his stint with the Clippers alone, Leonard has dealt with multiple injuries. In April 2023, doctors diagnosed him with a torn meniscus. During the offseason before the 2024-25 season, he underwent surgery to fix his knee.

The Clippers have been the hottest team in the NBA in the last few weeks. Their run has been similar to the Houston Rockets’ run at the start of the 2025-26 season. The new hope and energy at Intuit Dome was mostly because of how Kawhi carried the Clippers on his back. However, after the latest update, the mood changed among fans. “It was fun while it lasted,” a fan said, bracing for yet another impact. However, there is still hope that Kawhi could return in the next few days.

The Toronto Raptors game was one of the three road games scheduled until January 22. From what it appears from the team’s decision, they might want to finish road games without Leonard. It will give him almost a week to heal and his knee a much-needed rest. Fans know that the Clippers aren’t going anywhere without Leonard and hope that a “4 solid good days should help him heal” to keep the hopes alive.

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However, given the history of knee injuries that Kawhi has dealt with in the past, a fear of being ruled out for a longer duration wouldn’t be baseless. Last offseason, in 2024, he even admitted that he might have to deal with not having a fully healthy knee throughout his career. Leonard played hard for 24 consecutive games. So, for a fan to fear that “He’ll be out for at least a month now,” doesn’t seem baseless.

The Clippers have an 11-2 record in the last 13 games, with Leonard trying to pull them across the line. During this stint, he has averaged 32.7 points on 50.7% shooting. Meanwhile, he was also recording 6.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks. He has played hard on both ends, averaging over 35 minutes a game.

But combined with the history of his knee injuries, it’s not a surprise that fans are in panic mode.