Charles Barkley says he has ‘never seen anyone’ do what Kawhi Leonard does after every injury
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Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard is expected to be out for a few weeks after suffering a knee injury.
The 35-year-old is a phenomenal basketball player, but injuries have regularly affected him over the course of his career.
That has led to some criticism recently, but Charles Barkley has noticed a trend with Leonard that actually deserves some praise.
Charles Barkley says Kawhi Leonard is the only player in basketball who doesn’t experience rust
Leonard was recently branded as the ‘worst superstar in the history of sports’ by Stephen A. Smith after news emerged about his injury.
The ESPN host accused him of getting paid without working because of the number of games he has missed throughout his career.
Barkley has had his say on the situation too, but instead of mocking his injury, the NBA legend has hailed the way Leonard comes back from such issues time and again.
He said: “I have said this before. I have been in the NBA for 40 years. I’ve never seen a guy who can miss a month and come back and look just as good.
“Everybody else has rust. When guys miss a month or a year, they come back rusty.
“Kawhi Leonard is the only guy that I’ve seen in my years – he can miss a year or two months, he comes back, and it’s like: ‘D***, he looks great!’”
Injuries are unfortunately a part of the game, and almost every player has to go through spells where they have to spend time on the sidelines.
Leonard has had to experience this more often than most, but the way he has come back every time deserves enormous praise. It takes a lot to be that good.
It remains to be seen how long the Raptors star will be out this time, but once he returns, don’t be surprised to see him hit the ground running.
Read more:
- ‘Plant any trees lately?’ – Kawhi Leonard’s one-word response to an NBA fan teasing him
- Charles Barkley says ‘the most underrated player’ in the entire NBA plays for the Toronto Raptors
- Tristan Thompson makes an interesting comparison between the current Toronto Raptors and their 2019 championship team
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.