Stephen A. Smith Says Kawhi Leonard Got A Sweet Deal In Clippers Scandal Like A ‘Gangster’

The fallout surrounding the Kawhi Leonard saga has taken another turn. This time, the criticism is not coming from a rival player or another NBA team, but from one of the league's loudest television personalities.

Stephen A. Smith addressed the situation on Tuesday's edition of First Take . His argument centered on the gap between the punishment faced by the Clippers and what Leonard himself has had to deal with.

Kawhi Leonard Gets Put On Blast By Stephen A. Smith

Smith believes Leonard's role in the controversy cannot be separated from the consequences that followed. In his view, Leonard avoided the kind of personal fallout that eventually landed on the organization.

That is when Smith delivered his bluntest assessment of the situation.

"He's a gangster. I mean, to sit up there – he broke the rules, got caught, pointed the finger at somebody else, threw the organization under the bus, got his money and left the country," Smith said on First Take .

The accusation centers on Smith's reading of the events rather than on a new finding from the NBA. His criticism is that Leonard came through the controversy with his contract and playing status intact while the Clippers were left to absorb the major organizational penalties.

That contrast is what Smith appears to find most difficult to accept. He is not merely questioning the size of Leonard's punishment, but the overall outcome for the player compared with the franchise.

Kawhi Leonard's Outcome Has Stephen A. Talking

The NBA's decision led to a very different outcome for Leonard and the Clippers. Leonard was fined $700,000, while the Clippers received the far heavier penalties tied to the league's investigation.

Smith sees that imbalance as the most striking part of the story. He continued by arguing that Leonard's position after the investigation was hard to improve upon.

"I mean, how much better can it get than that? That is what Kawhi Leonard has done," Smith said.

That line captures Smith's broader complaint. Leonard was not suspended, his contract was not voided, and the Clippers carried the largest part of the punishment.

The criticism comes at a time when questions about Leonard's role in the Clippers controversy are still being discussed across the NBA. Smith has now put his own sharp label on that debate, arguing that the player benefited while the organization paid the heavier price.

For Leonard, the league's punishment remains on the record. So does Smith's very public assessment of how the entire episode played out.