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Kawhi Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 NBA season, as he's recoring from a torn ACL in his left knee. The LA Clippers missed the postseason, but Leonard said that his team will win the title this year.
In a hilarious, yet short conversation with TMZ Sports, Leonard was asked about his pick to win the 2022 NBA championship. The two-time NBA champ stayed loyal by nonchalantly taking the Clippers' name. The TMZ reporter asked:
"Who do you have based on who's left?"
Kawhi Leonard's response:
"Clippers."
TMZ reporter clarified his question:
"Who do you think will win the title?"
Leonard's stoic answer:
"Clippers."
Kawhi Leonard appears to be returning to Los Angeles with his girlfriend Kishele Shipley. They have been together since they were in college at San Diego State University. Leonard and Shipley have two kids together, a daughter born in 2016 and a boy born in 2018, while he was playing for the Toronto Raptors.
TMZ Sports speculates that the couple are getting ready to be married. In addition to asking Leonard about his championship favorites, the reporter also tried getting some details from Leonard about his relationship with Jack Harlow. The Clippers star and the rapper recently starred together for a New Balance commercial.
When will Kawhi Leonard return?
Kawhi Leonard suffered a torn left ACL in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals between the LA Clippers and the Utah Jazz last year. Leonard underwent surgery to repair his injury last offseason and was even rumored to be ahead of schedule in his recovery.
However, the Clippers decided to hold out Leonard for the entire season. Team president Lawrence Frank provided an update on the superstar's recovery, in an interview with NBA.com last month. Frank sounded confident that Leonard would be back better than ever next season. He said:
"I just trust the process of seeing him work every day and how hard he works. Regardless, if he's like this right off the bat or it takes a little bit of time, I have great faith that he'll be back and better than ever."
Frank added that he was very impressed with Leonard's discipline during his recovery process. The former coach pointed out that Leonard is focused on his rehab and could be better than ever. Frank said:
"We're encouraged by the progress that he’s making. The fact that he's been able to stay so ultra-locked into his rehab just speaks so much of the discipline you see when he's on the court. You see that carried over into his rehab. That's a challenge. That’s not easy."
