When the NBA announced its All-Star reserves this past Sunday, one name missing from the Western Conference roster turned more than a few heads: Kawhi Leonard.
Let’s be clear - Leonard isn’t just having a solid season. He’s putting up numbers that, in most years, would make him a lock for the All-Star Game.
Averaging 27.6 points per game - good for seventh in the league - along with 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.0 steals, Leonard is producing at an elite level on both ends of the floor. He’s efficient, impactful, and doing it all for a Clippers team that’s firmly in the playoff picture.
And yet, when the league’s 30 head coaches submitted their votes for All-Star reserves, Leonard’s name wasn’t on the list.
That omission is raising eyebrows across the league.
To put it in perspective, every other player in the top eight in scoring this season made the All-Star cut. Leonard?
The lone exception. And this isn’t just about points per game - his defensive presence, versatility, and leadership have been central to the Clippers’ success.
He’s doing everything you’d expect from an All-Star, and then some.
David Dennis Jr. of Andscape didn’t mince words on SportsCenter, calling the snub “embarrassing.” He pointed out that Leonard is not only seventh in scoring but also leading the league in steals - a rare combination of offensive firepower and defensive dominance.
“We’ve never had somebody with his accumulation of stats not be an All-Star,” Dennis said. And he’s right - historically, players with Leonard’s production don’t get left off this roster.
So why was he?
That’s where things get murky. There’s a growing sense around the league that this might be about more than basketball.
Some are drawing parallels to what just happened with Bill Belichick - a legendary figure being left out of the Hall of Fame conversation, not because of his accomplishments, but because of off-field controversies. In Leonard’s case, the cloud hanging over him stems from an offseason scandal involving a $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration, a company reportedly tied to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
The NBA launched an investigation into whether the team used the deal to circumvent the salary cap, with allegations that it included $20 million in stock and may have served as hidden compensation to lure Leonard to L.A. Leonard, for his part, dismissed the allegations last fall, saying, “I understand the full contract and the services that I had to do. I don’t deal with the conspiracies or the clickbait analysts or journalism that’s going on.”
Still, whether fair or not, the timing of the snub has people wondering if the All-Star coaches factored in more than just on-court performance.
And there’s another layer to this: the Clippers are hosting this year’s All-Star Game. That makes the absence of Leonard - and James Harden, who’s averaging 25 points per game himself - even more glaring.
If the rosters hold, this will be just the second time in NBA history that two teammates averaging 25 or more points don’t make the All-Star team. That’s not just unusual - it’s historic.
For Leonard, who’s known for his quiet demeanor and laser-focused approach to the game, this has to sting. He’s doing everything the league asks of its stars: playing at an elite level, leading his team, staying healthy, and producing on both ends. And yet, when the All-Star spotlight comes to his home arena, he’ll be watching from the sidelines.
Whether this snub gets corrected due to an injury replacement remains to be seen. But as it stands now, Kawhi Leonard is on the outside looking in - and it’s hard to find a basketball reason why.