Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers reacts to reaching 14,000 career points

Kawhi Leonard achieved a huge milestone in his career on Sunday during a Los Angeles Clippers home game at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Leonard entered that game just 14 points shy of the NBA’s 14,000-point club. The six-time NBA All-Star finally reached that scoring plateau, as he helped the Clippers secure a 116-102 victory against the Lakers by scoring 19 points on an efficient 9-for-13 shooting from the field.

Leonard, who is not known for his bombastic personality, seemed to diminish the importance when he reached 14,000 points, he still showed gratitude for his latest achievement.

“I don’t look at it as a turning point,” Leonard told reporters in the postgame press conference following the win over the Lakers (h/t Sports Illustrated’s Joey Lynn).

“I’m more of a team guy and I get the win.. being the last team standing. But thank God you could get that opportunity. Most people don’t. “I take advantage of every opportunity and blessing and I don’t take it for granted,” Leonard added.

If it weren’t for his health problems, Leonard could have reached his 14,000th point in the NBA a long time ago. The two-time NBA champion has not played more than 74 games in a season so far in his professional career. Furthermore, he hasn’t appeared in more than 68 games in a season since 2016-17. Leonard also didn’t make his 2024-25 NBA debut until Jan. 4, after being sidelined indefinitely with right knee inflammation early in the season.

Kawhi Leonard is progressing to more minutes

It’s Leonard still on the few minute limit and can be expected to miss Monday’s meeting with the Chicago Bulls at home for rest, but he expressed optimism about his progress.

“I’m happy with the progress,” Leonard said (via Linn). “I go to games feeling great. We still have work to do and we will continue every step of the way.”

In five games this season, Leonard is averaging 13.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 21.8 minutes while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from the field. percent behind the arc. Leonard’s next opportunity to suit up will be Wednesday when the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics visit Inglewood.

Reckwell Villas is an experienced sportswriter covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and college football. He holds a BA in Communication Arts from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.