STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

NBA Fines Clippers $50K Over Doc Rivers’ Kawhi Leonard ‘Load Management’ Comments

The head coach’s “inconsistent” statements were reviewed.

The NBA fined the Los Angeles Clippers $50,000, according to ESPN, on Thursday (November 7) for inconsistent remarks by head coach Doc Rivers regarding superstar forward Kawhi Leonard’s health. 

The Clippers and Leonard were the subject of much discussion on Wednesday (November 6) prior to a nationally televised game against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Leonard missed the game due to “load management” of a chronic knee injury he’s been dealing with off and on for the better part of two seasons. 

Prior to Wednesday’s game Rivers said about Kawhi:

"He feels great. But he feels great because of what we've been doing. And we are just going to continue to do it. There's no concern here. But we want to make sure. I think Kawhi made the statement he's never felt better [entering camp]. It's our job to make sure he stays that way. And that's important. He played a lot of minutes in the playoffs last year. And it's not a health thing. Really it is, in some ways, we want him to just keep feeling better and getting better."

RELATED: Kawhi Leonard Missing Nationally Televised Game Due To ‘Load Management’ Sparks Debate

That’s where the inconsistency lies. 

The NBA was OK with Leonard missing the game, because they deemed him to be unable to play based on the information the Clippers provided in the injury report. 

Rivers saying, “it’s not a health thing,” called the validity of the Clippers' injury report into question. 

The league has a mandate that teams be transparent about player injuries and “load management,” mainly to satisfy its broadcast partners who spend billions of dollars to televise the NBA product. 

RELATED: #BlackExcellence: Kawhi Leonard Donates A Million Backpacks To Kids In Southern California

Rivers has to walk a delicate line between protecting the privacy of his player and complying with the league’s stance. 

For his part, Leonard was surprised the league spoke about the specifics of his injury in their statement announcing the Clippers’ fine. 

RELATED: ‘Hey, Hey, Hey!’ Kawhi Leonard Just Gifted Us With A New Meme

"I mean, it was shocking, but it doesn't matter to me," Leonard said. "I'm not a guy that reads the media anyway. We're going to manage it the best way we can to keep me healthy, and that's the most important thing, me being healthy moving forward."

For Rivers and the Clippers, if they’re hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season, this will be a minor blip on the road to championship success. 

"Sometimes you agree with fines, sometimes you don't," Rivers said. "It doesn't matter. That is the one thing I've learned."

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.