Kawhi Leonard hits out at NBA parlay gamblers on comeback after injury: “We are on no one’s timeframe”

Kawhi Leonard stresses patience over parlay bettors’ expectations, takes a sly shot at fantasy and parlay fans

Kawhi Leonard hits out at NBA parlay gamblers on comeback after injury: “We are on no one’s timeframe”

Leonard thrashes parlayers expectation in his first game back from injury

One of the major storylines this NBA season has been the much-anticipated return of Kawhi Leonard. After being sidelined for most of the 2024-25 campaign due to a knee injury, the 2X NBA champions made his first return on Saturday to the Intuit Dome after almost 10 weeks. Donning a radiant red number 2 jersey, The Klaw registered 12 points, 3 boards an assist and a steal in the Clipper’s 131-105 rout against the Atlanta Hawks.

Kawhi Leonard sat down for his first post-game media conference in months, as the reporters where eager to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. Reflecting on his time away from basketball during rehab, the LA native shared how the experience made him realize just how much he loves competing with his peers. Mostly a “quiet guy”, No. 2 also addressed the unrealistic expectations of parlay bettors and fantasy players, who often wager on specific player performances—such as predicting whether a player will score over or under a set number of points in a given game.

YouTube video

“We’re still easing me into the game. We’re on nobody’s timetable. Anybody watching, that wants to see me score 20, 30 points, or be aggressive, we are not on no one’s timeframe. We know what’s ahead of us and we have to keep building in the right direction.”- Kawhi Leonard

FS Video

True to his disciplined nature, Kawhi Leonard touched on how he opted for better and more open shots instead of fighting for buckets in the paint. Leonard is focused on finding his way back to his full form. If the Clippers are going to make another deep playoff run, they will need his legs healthy and ready to go.

Interestingly, most sportsbooks predicted Leonard would score around 15 points in his first game back from injury. Although that’s a low-hanging fruit for his claws, he emphasized the importance of taking his time and gradually adapting, especially when reintegrating into the pace of professional basketball. A similar situation occurred a few months ago when Kevin Durant snapped back at bitter fans blaming him for their parlay losses, telling them they have a “gambling problem.”

RELATED
Kawhi Leonard announces his return in the most unique way possible
Kawhi Leonard

Kevin Durant’s hysterical message to disgruntled gamblers

Since the beginning of time, sports events and games of any form or shape have been gambled upon by humankind. From how many dunks will occur in a game to which presidential candidate will win, or even if it will rain tomorrow—anything with a probability of happening, no matter how microscopic, oddsmakers will figure out how to make you lose your money in the long run.

Sharing a similar sentiment to his unhappy fans who likely had just lost a significant amount of money due to his substandard performance, Kevin Durant told them to be more “responsible” and added, “Better luck next time lol.”

In 2022, Durant partnered with one of the leading online sports betting and daily fantasy sports platforms in the United States, FanDuel. Fans weren’t too happy when they learned about the perceived hypocrisy. On top of that, when Durant announced that he would personally start giving his own NFL game picks as part of the FanDuel deal, fans began spamming his tweets with heated comments.

RELATED
Ty Lue discloses how Kawhi Leonard cries in guilt of not being able to help the team
Tyronn Lue and Kawhi Leonard

However, this seems to be the norm in the current age. Today, the sports and gambling industries are deeply intertwined, with odds movements televised to sports fans alongside each game. Major players like BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel are all official sports betting partners of one major professional sports league or another. Fans live-tweeting and bashing their favorite players online over minor mishaps is the hallmark of modern basketball.