Kawhi Leonard disrespect scrapes the abyss following All-Star starter announcement

As the NBA announced the 2026 All-Star starters, the wait is over. Fans of the respective fanbases whose players cracked the list are certainly high-fiving and celebrating, while those who enjoy watching the LA Clippers play basketball are thoroughly disappointed; Clipper Nation is in awe that Kawhi Leonard was blatantly snubbed.

In another reality, someone averaging 28.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 steals, while shooting 49.7% from the field, 39.9% from three, and 94.1% from the charity stripe, is a starter in his home arena, the Intuit Dome.

Nine times out of ten, superstars that are borderline 30-point-per-game scorers just shy of 50-40-90 splits while leading the league in steals averages would be at the top of the Western Conference All-Star debate, unanimously.

Yet Leonard was overlooked in the fan, player, and media rankings. Therefore, he had the lowest weighted score and was behind Anthony Edwards, Deni Avdija, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James, four players who are also regarded as snubs.

Kawhi Leonard not on the All-Star starter list does not make sense

What stopped Kawhi Leonard from being named a starter for the 2026 All-Star Game? Was it the games he had missed? The LA Clippers’ win count? An underwhelming start to the year? Or the fact that an excuse does not exist, and that the two-time champion and generational talent is unexplainably underrated.

Leonard is having the best season of his career on a team that has won six games in a row for the second time this season, and received no credit, just a series of upsetting rankings that led to an undesirable result.

The criteria for such honors are inconsistent, and this year, it was applied to Leonard for no apparent reason. Though Victor Wembanyama has played fewer games with 28, and Stephen Curry is the first option on the Golden State Warriors, who are just two seeds ahead of the Clippers in the play-in tournament, both had a significantly higher weighted score.

Furthermore, wins and games played are the typical reasons for a snub, yet Leonard defies them both. He ultimately deserved the heavily anticipated announcement as one of five players in the Western Conference.

At the end of the day, fans of the Clippers will have to settle on the idea that Leonard will earn his seventh all-star selection through the bench. It is unfair, yet a harsh reality that must be faced.