Report: Lakers Hold Resentment at ‘Highest Levels’ Towards Kawhi Leonard

By Jonathan Sherman
Updated: December 23, 2019

Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James

Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports

When Kawhi Leonard chose the Los Angeles Clippers over the Los Angeles Lakers this past offseason, it appears he made quite a lot of enemies within the Lakers organization.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, members of the Lakers organization continue to hold resentment towards the defending Finals MVP to this day.

“Nearly five months later, with the Clippers and Lakers set to face off in the NBA’s centerpiece Christmas Day game on Wednesday, resentment remains at the highest levels of Laker Land over how Leonard and his camp handled the process,” he wrote. “And as if the growing rivalry between these intra-city teams wasn’t enough to make for a fascinating LA story, now there’s this previously unreported reality: According to three sources with knowledge of the situation, the NBA conducted a formal investigation of the Clippers last summer after complaints surfaced that Dennis Robertson had asked for improper benefits during the free agency process.”

One aspect of the Lakers’ opinion of Leonard surely has to do with the widely held belief that he strung the Lakers along as the Clippers orchestrated a trade for star Paul George.

Beyond that, it was also recently revealed that Robertson, Leonard’s uncle, asked for perks that are illegal under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.

Both factors likely led to Leonard becoming disdained within the Lakers organization.

Now, with a Christmas Day matchup between the two teams on the horizon, there is no doubt that it means quite a bit more than just another game would to the front office of the Lakers.

With both teams already proving that they are certainly title contenders, a Lakers win over the Clippers would be the best way to snap their current three-game losing streak.