LOS ANGELES — A former coach for the LA Clippers filed a wrongful termination swimsuit in opposition to the crew, alleging he was fired for attempting to cease what he stated have been unsafe and unlawful medical therapies on oft-injured star Kawhi Leonard.
In a swimsuit filed within the Los Angeles Superior Court docket (Central District), Randy Shelton — who labored with Leonard at San Diego State the place Shelton served as a power and conditioning coach, and was with the Clippers coaching workers from 2019 to 2023 — stated that Clippers disregarded Leonard’s well being and security and identified medical restrictions. The swimsuit additionally accuses the Clippers of tampering with Leonard main as much as his free company in 2019 and utilizing Shelton’s potential employment with the Clippers to incentivize Leonard to affix the franchise whereas the ahead was with the Toronto Raptors.
Within the lawsuit, which names members of the Clippers entrance workplace led by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, Shelton alleges the crew met with him repeatedly and promised him a task throughout the group. Shelton, who labored at San Diego State from 2010 to 2019, maintained a relationship with Leonard after he was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2011.
Shelton would finally go away the college to be a efficiency specialist with the Clippers. The lawsuit alleges that not solely did the Clippers pursue Leonard via Shelton whereas Leonard was in Toronto, however that the connection between the Clippers and Shelton started as early as 2017 when Leonard was coming into his final season with the Spurs.
Shelton is in search of unspecified financial damages for misplaced wages, in addition to non-specific financial funds for psychological and emotional stress from being fired.
The Clippers denied Shelton’s allegations in an announcement, saying, “Mr. Shelton’s claims have been investigated and located to be with out benefit. We honored Mr. Shelton’s employment contract and paid him in full. This lawsuit is a belated try and shake down the Clippers based mostly on accusations that Mr. Shelton ought to know are false.”
The NBA acknowledged the lawsuit Thursday, however provided no additional remark.
Shelton was famend for working with Leonard within the offseasons, working particularly to strengthen Leonard’s quad muscle tissues. Leonard missed time because of a left quadriceps harm within the 2012-13 season and later was recognized with proper quadriceps tendinopathy through the 2017-18 season — his ultimate marketing campaign with the Spurs wherein Leonard appeared in solely 9 video games.
Toronto aggressively utilized load administration with Leonard, maintaining him from taking part in each video games of any back-to-back that season to make sure Leonard’s quadriceps would keep wholesome all through the season.
Leonard with the Raptors through the NBA Finals in 2019. (Picture: Gregory Shamus / Getty Photographs)
The Clippers adopted Toronto’s back-to-back technique in Leonard’s first season in LA, however Leonard performed in back-to-back contests following the Clippers’ disappointing postseason within the 2020 bubble.
Leonard’s proper knee points got here into better focus beginning in June 2021, when he suffered {a partially} torn proper ACL. Leonard signed a four-year contract that offseason that included a participant possibility within the 2024 offseason. Whereas Leonard missed your complete 2021-22 season recovering from ACL surgical procedure, the Clippers did not survive the Play-In Match.
The lawsuit alleges that the Clippers’ technique going into the 2022-23 season was for Leonard to play, and the two-time NBA Finals MVP participated totally in coaching camp whereas taking part in a number of preseason video games. Leonard was held out of back-to-backs once more, however he volunteered to come back off of the bench for the opening week of the 2022-23 season. By Week 2, Leonard’s surgically repaired knee flared up and he was out for 25 days. The lawsuit alleges that Leonard returned prematurely, and within the third recreation of his return, Leonard suffered a critical ankle harm that stored him out a further two weeks.
By the top of the season, Leonard participated in two units of back-to-back contests, with the Clippers attempting to remain out of the Play-In Match with out injured star Paul George. The Clippers clinched a playoff spot, however Leonard tore his proper meniscus and missed the ultimate three video games of the postseason.
Shelton was terminated the next offseason.
The Clippers’ method to Leonard modified for the 2023-24 season, as Leonard performed in back-to-back contests and in 68 of the crew’s first 74 video games of the season. The one time Leonard missed have been 4 video games in late December because of a hip contusion, one recreation proper earlier than the All-Star break because of an adductor pressure and one recreation in March for relaxation throughout a stretch of 5 video games in seven days. Leonard additionally left a recreation in March because of thoracic spasms, although he performed the next recreation in Chicago.
However Leonard’s proper knee flared up in April, and he missed the ultimate eight video games of the common season and solely appeared in Sport 2 and three of the Western Convention quarterfinals. Leonard underwent a process in Might to deal with proper knee irritation and was cleared to take part at Staff USA coaching camp in July, however he was later changed on the nationwide crew by Boston Celtics guard Derrick White.
Earlier than coaching camp, the Clippers introduced Leonard can be held out of drills to strengthen his knee, with Frank saying the swelling is “nearly gone.” Coach Tyronn Lue stated a month later that Leonard had one other flare-up after leaving the nationwide crew.
Lue clarified that Leonard has not had a setback for the reason that Clippers started camp, and Leonard is week to week whereas he continues to organize for a season wherein he hopes to complete wholesome for the primary time since 2020.
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(Picture: Ronald Martinez / Getty Photographs)
