Although Anthony Edwards took home the All-Star game MVP after winning the championship, the LA Clippers’ franchise superstar, Kawhi Leonard, had the best performance on the night, with 31 points and two steals, shooting 11-13 from the field, in 12 minutes versus “Team Stripes.” However, on the ‘First Take’, Stephen A. Smith refuses to hop on the train of praising Leonard’s exceptional night and opts to twist it into criticism of his availability in the playoffs, which was already disproven in the 2025 postseason.
Stephen A. Smith on Kawhi Leonard’s legendary All-Star Game performance:
— APHoops (@APH00PS) February 16, 2026
“In April— Am I gonna see him then? I don’t want to see this now and April comes and your ass is no where to be found… This brother can give notes on time-off and getting paid! He needs to do a masterclass… pic.twitter.com/q59xShQuvx
Furthermore, if Smith looked at the Clippers' series against the Denver Nuggets, he would see that Leonard was on the court each night and averaged 37.7 minutes. The man also has a showroom of rings and Finals MVPs to show that he, for one, is built for the pressure.
Thus, this type of criticism of Leonard is infuriating. Not only is it mistaken, but Smith sounds like a broken record with his repeated, bold takes on the two-time champion, like the time he recommended retirement.
Clippers fans are going to hold on to the receipts of Stephen A. Smith’s remarks
With a deep, profound love for Kawhi Leonard’s game, fans of the LA Clippers take every bit of notable criticism on the franchise superstar, and keep it handy to put on display for the very second it is debunked.
Therefore, Stephen A. Smith's commentary on Leonard and his interest in the game will be remembered vividly. In fact, this will certainly be the first thing that comes to mind, given his history of harping on the seven-time All-Star.
Moreover, Leonard is on pace to have the best playoff run of his career following his best scoring season of 27.9 points in 41 games. The ball will only be in his hands, and we know what that means: takeover time.
Additionally, head coach Tyronn Lue knows that to go far and win the NBA Finals, the entire offense and defense will run through Leonard, as he will not have a superstar next to him on the Clippers for the first time ever.
Hence, Leonard will inevitably have a high usage rate, a fact that directly yields success.
That said, Smith will soon realize where he went wrong regarding his words on Leonard. If anything, they will be laughed at by Clipper Nation when the postseason comes around, and LA’s superstar is performing on a level much higher than the rest.