The rivalry between the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers may be intensifying a bit more.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith claimed on Wednesday’s edition of “First Take” that a “very reliable source” said that Leonard has said “somebody tell LeBron to stop being scared to guard me.”
Of course I didn’t speak to Kawhi. Who does? But I’ll tell you, I DID hear he said THIS about @KingJames guarding him. And if this is true, that’s even more of a reason to pray for a @Lakers vs @Clippers Conference Finals this May. pic.twitter.com/k6t1CdOA9S
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 8, 2020
This should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, there are NBA players who have previously had some negative things to say about Smith’s reporting. If true, though, it does reflect a certain level of disrespect from Leonard to James, who is being outright accused of fearing Leonard too much to guard the Clippers forward. It’s even more barbed considering Leonard has dominated the Lakers in two meetings, scoring 35 and 30 points in those games.
Regardless of whether Smith is right or not, there are definitely people close to the game who are thinking similar thoughts. James is used to being questioned, though, and he may feel personally challenged the next time the two meet.
Clippers fans, show everyone who runs Los Angeles with this great “We Run LA” shirt:
