Kawhi Leonard was not introduced at Intuit Dome for this bizarre reason

Wednesday night was of course a momentous occasion for the LA Clippers. The franchise celebrated the official beginning of a new era with the opening of Intuit Dome, and many prominent figures were in attendance.

Fans flooded the building to see their squad take on a highly-talented Phoenix Suns team, and many were amazed with the incredible amenities in the state-of-the-art arena. Even despite a close loss in overtime, the evening felt like a breath of fresh air for the Clippers fanbase. No more Crypto Arena, and a place they can call their own. All the noise and distractions seemed to dissipate for those few hours.

But for fans who were in attendance, there was also one small detail of the night that may have gone unnoticed. When the players from the home team were introduced for the first time, Kawhi Leonard's name was not mentioned. Some might assume this was simply because he is out due to injury, but one inside source confirmed that is not quite the whole story.

Clippers fan @DimeDropperPod on X wondered why Kawhi was not introduced, since Leonard was introduced at Staples Center in 2021 at the start of a season where he would not play a single game. According to Clippers reporter for The Athletic Law Murray, the reasoning lies in one fact: the team could not find Kawhi.

The Clippers "couldn't find" Kawhi Leonard

"Long story short, [Leonard] was on the list, but [the Clippers] couldn't find him," wrote Murray. "Wasn’t the only player this happened with. They were trying to find Bones too and they couldn’t find him so he wasn’t introduced either."

Perhaps this situation is more commonplace than it appears, but from the perspective of someone who does not work for the team, it just appears bizarre. On opening night, and on a very unique opening night at that, the Clippers could simply not find their franchise icon and superstar?

We would later see Leonard sitting on the bench during the game, so it is not like he did not show for the entire contest. He was in the building at some point, so it is incredibly strange that he would not be out in front of the fans for what will obviously become an iconic moment in the history of Clippers basketball.

There are no fingers being pointed here, as we do not know any further details. However, it is simply a very weird circumstance for a night where all the cameras were rolling and everyone was in attendance.