Published 12:46 IST, July 9th 2020
Kawhi Leonard didn't travel to Orlando with the Clippers, expected to join later: Report
The Los Angeles Clippers arrived at Disney World on Wednesday. However, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard did not arrive at the venue along with the Clippers.
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This week, NBA teams travelled to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida to begin preparing for the league restart on July 30. The Los Angeles Clippers arrived at the venue on Wednesday (Thursday IST). However, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard did not arrive at Disney World along with his team.
Also read | Jamal Crawford, Michael Beasley agree to sign with Brooklyn Nets ahead of NBA Orlando restart
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Is Kawhi Leonard not travelling to NBA Orlando with Los Angeles Clippers?
Why is Kawhi Leonard not travelling to the NBA Orlando bubble at Walt Disney World
As per NBA reports, a person who is familiar with the situation revealed that Kawhi Leonard did not accompany his team on their flight to Central Florida on Wednesday (Thursday IST). Reports added that Leonard was excused due to a family matter he had to attend. Associated Press reported that the situation was kept anonymous as the Clippers did not want to make the matter public. Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes was the first to report the news.
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The Clippers will spend Thursday and half of Friday in quarantine as per the league's safety protocols and will begin practice at the venue on Friday night (Saturday IST). Before the eight seeding games scheduled to begin on July 30, the Clippers will kick-off the scrimmage schedule along with the Orlando Magic on July 22 3:00 PM EST (July 23, 12:30 AM IST).
The Clippers will first play the LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the second game of the NBA restart on July 30 at 9:00 PM EST (July 31, 6:30 AM IST). Leonard was averaging 26.9 points per game for the Clippers before the 2019-20 season was suspended on March 11 due to the COVID-19 crisis. Leonard is the reigning NBA Finals MVP after he helped lead the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA title in history.
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The Clippers are currently ranked second on the Western Conference table with a 44-20 win-loss record. As per the NBA, the Clippers are 33-13 when plays, 6-7 when he does not and 17-3 when he scored a minimum of 30 points.
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(Image source: NBA official site)
12:46 IST, July 9th 2020