INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The line formed three hours before tip and was going strong minutes before the ball went up. 

Los Angeles Clippers fans gathered in the plaza outside the modern marvel that is Intuit Dome and waited patiently to rid themselves of their bad vibes. Specifically, they were lining up to exchange their formerly iconic No. 2 Kawhi Leonard Clippers jerseys for something new and different. A No. 1 Keaton Wagler perhaps, or a No. 31 Max Strus, or maybe even a Gradey Dick No. 9.

The choices for new jerseys varied, but the leading jersey being returned was Leonard’s, and it wasn’t particularly close. 

That’s what happens when you spend seven seasons with a team, don’t win a playoff series for the last five of them and miss more than 40 per cent of their games due to injury. Oh, and then leave amidst one of the NBA’s greatest scandals where it was learned that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funnelled millions of dollars to Leonard via phony endorsement deals. 

While Leonard arrived in Toronto this season on a tidal wave of 2018-19 championship nostalgia, Clippers fans were fuming, heartbroken or both after an NBA investigation determined the Clippers had circumvented the salary cap to Leonard’s benefit and required them to forfeit five first-round picks, pay a $30-million fine and suspend several key personnel, including Ballmer. 

When the 2026-27 schedule came out, the Raptors' first game in Los Angeles against the Clippers was instantly circled as a moment when fans could vent at their departed anti-hero. A Shakespearean drama right there on the calendar.

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way, for reasons all too familiar to Clippers fans. Leonard wasn’t even in the building as he left the Raptors last week after his left knee began swelling up. He has been receiving treatment and rest at an undisclosed location that is not Toronto. An update on his condition is expected on Tuesday. He is likely two weeks, at minimum, from playing........

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