Former San Antonio Spurs star Bruce Bowen won’t be back as an analyst for the Los Angeles Clippers next season, a decision that comes following critical comments he made about Kawhi Leonard earlier this summer.
According to an ESPN report, Bowen won’t have his contract renewed at Fox Sports West, the network which carries Clippers games in the Los Angeles market.
Clippers Eyeing Kawhi for 2019
While Bowen is, strictly speaking, an employee of the network and not the team, most teams have significant influence over who is allowed to work on those broadcasts. Sources told ESPN that the team withheld its approval when it came time to discuss extending Bowen’s contract.
The decision seems to have had nothing to do with Bowen’s on-air talents, and instead be a calculated forward-looking move designed to improve the team’s position when it comes to free agency in 2019.
The Clippers were among several teams that were hoping to sign Leonard during the current offseason. Ultimately, he would be moved to the Toronto Raptors, where he will play out the final year of his contract before becoming perhaps the most valuable player in the free agent pool next summer.
When that happens, the Clippers expect to be in the mix again. Leonard has said that he would love to play in Los Angeles at some point in his career, and while the Clippers may play second fiddle to the Lakers in those discussions – especially since the Lakers signed LeBron James this summer – they still feel like they have a chance to bring in the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Bowen Says Leonard ‘Getting Bad Advice’
With that in mind, the franchise seems to have been concerned that Bowen’s comments about how Leonard dealt with an injury that kept him out of all but nine games last season might be seen by the player.
“I think there’s nothing but excuses going on,” Bowen said on Sirius XM Radio in June. “You got $18 million this year, and you think that they’re trying to rush you? You didn’t play for the most part a full season this year. And you’re the go-to guy, you’re the franchise, and you want to say that they didn’t have your best interest at heart?”
Bowen went on to say that he felt Leonard was getting bad advice on how to handle his career, then said that the 2014 NBA Finals MVP should remember that he didn’t become a star on his own.
“You were protected in San Antonio,” Bowen said on Sirius XM. “You were able to come up during a time where you still could lean on Tim [Duncan], Tony [Parker] and Manu [Ginobili].”
In the 2016-17 season, Leonard averaged 25.5 points per game and made his second consecutive All-Star Game. His numbers were down in limited action last season as he attempted to recover from a right quadriceps injury.
While Bowen had only served one year as a television analyst, sources told ESPN that his contract was expected to be extended before the comments about Leonard were made.
Bowen was a three-time NBA champion with the Spurs, and made eight appearances on the NBA All-Defensive First or Second Team during his career.