Now a seven-time NBA All-Star, Kawhi Leonard is averaging a career high in points (27.6) while leading the league in steals (2.1). Juan Ocampo / Getty Images
Feb. 3, 2026Updated 7:29 pm EST
It turns out that the LA Clippers will have an All-Star after all in Intuit Dome this month.
On Tuesday, the NBA announced small forward Kawhi Leonard has been chosen by commissioner Adam Silver to the All-Star Game, a maneuver that gives the United States player pool the required minimum of 16 players. Leonard, a native of Moreno Valley in Southern California, was initially snubbed when the reserves were announced Sunday from the Western Conference selections determined by NBA head coaches.
Leonard’s All-Star selection is the seventh of his career, his fourth as a Clipper. Leonard won the All-Star Game MVP in 2020, his first season with the Clippers after winning the 2019 championship in his lone season with the Toronto Raptors. Leonard made his first two All-Star appearances in 2016 and 2017 with the San Antonio Spurs.
Despite the Clippers starting 6-21 this season, with a 3-19 stretch over a seven-week span, Leonard, 34, has started to help the Clippers recover and win 17 of their last 22 games. Since Dec. 20, Leonard is averaging 30.2 points per game, fourth-most in the NBA behind All-Stars Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards. Leonard also has averaged 2.2 steals per game in that span, third behind January Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month Ausar Thompson and All-Star Tyrese Maxey.
Overall, Leonard is averaging a career-high 27.6 points per game to go with 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and a league-leading 2.1 steals per game. Leonard is also making a career-high 2.8 3s per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from 3 and a career-high 91.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Hanging over Leonard’s All-Star selection is the ongoing league investigation related to the Aspiration situation, in which Leonard and the Clippers are accused of circumventing the NBA’s salary-cap rules. The Clippers are also navigating 2025 All-Star James Harden’s desire to seek a new team, with Harden’s contract being a primary factor as well as LA’s place in the standings (ninth in the Western Conference with a 23-26 record).
Feb 4, 2026
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