"Laziest superstar ever" - NBA fans react to Ty Lue saying Kawhi Leonard's wishes were not honored by LA Clippers GM

For the latter half of his career, availability has been a major topic of conversation for Kawhi Leonard. When healthy, Leonard is still one of the game's top two-way stars. However, a deep injury history has resulted in him spending vast periods on the sidelines.

Clippers coach Ty Lue appeared on the "Club Shay Shay" podcast on Wednesday and discussed Leonard's condition. He said the former Finals MVP has been adamant about playing in back-to-backs, but the front office has held him out.

NBA fans quickly weighed in on Lue's comments:

"Laziest superstar ever," one fan commented.

Hoops

@hoops_321

@LegionHoops @ClubShayShay Do not do anything that risks this man being healthy in playoffs, he’s only chance you got

Soab

@77soab

@LegionHoops @ClubShayShay He shouldn’t play b2b considering how often he’s been getting injured

Willy Wonka

@badasswonkaa

@LegionHoops @ClubShayShay Laziest superstar ever

clippers bolt

@AustinFiesel

@LegionHoops @ClubShayShay As good as he is his injury history will hold him back forever sadly even if he wants to play

Kam Martin

@DamnHeYella

Been saying this for years. Yall mad at the players and not the staff and organization. They not “soft”. Business trying to protect their assets.

👾

@OutDaWayDoobie

Put some respect on the goat name !!!

Since the 2017 season, Leonard has played in 60 or more games on just two occasions. He has caught his fair share of backlash for constant load management, but it appears to be out of his control.

Coming off an offseason where the Clippers added numerous depth pieces, they are primed to make a run at a championship. Leonard staying healthy is crucial to LA achieving its goals.

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Jeff Teague slights Kawhi Leonard while discussing recent all-time rankings

Many people in and around the NBA believe that Kawhi Leonard is one of the top players of his generation despite his injury problems.

Last week, CBS Sports ranked the top 25 players from the 21st century. Leonard just missed the top 10, coming in at No. 13. Among the players just behind him are Steve Nash, James Harden and Luka Doncic.

On his "Club 520" podcast Tuesday, Jeff Teague weighed in on the list. He believes Leonard should be lower and named Russell Westbrook as one player who should leap the Clippers star.

"He's not had a better career than Russell Westbrook," Teague said. "He won championships but this is an individual award."

Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴

@big_business_

Jeff Teague says Russell Westbrook needs to be ranked higher than Kawhi Leonard on the top 25 best NBA players of the 21st century list by CBS "Kawhi is not better than Russ, he should be ranked higher on the list Kawhi was never the best player in the league Russ got an MVP"

Teague cited Westbrook being a regular-season MVP as one of the main reasons for putting him ahead of Leonard. While that is a key accolade missing from Leonard's resumé, he does have a Finals MVP. It's also worth noting that Leonard has finished in the top five of MVP voting three times in his career.