It has been just over nine months since LA Clippers fans have seen Kawhi Leonard play in a regular season game, but the wait for his return is finally over. After missing the first 34 games of the 2024-25 season, Leonard made his debut for LA’s second game of 2025, as they host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Through 34 games without Leonard, the Clippers have a 19-15 record and are sitting in seventh place in the West, as fans have only been able to imagine what this team is capable of with their superstar forward in the lineup.

The Clippers showed exactly what the fans were hoping for with Leonard back, bolting to a 20-point halftime lead as they cruise to a much-needed victory after losing their last two games.

Leonard has not shown out in his NBA debut, but after not touching a live basketball court since April 2024, his expectations could not have been too high.

For his first bucket of the season, Leonard sized up against Hawks standout rookie Zaccharie Risacher and drilled a three-pointer right in the face of the 2024 first-overall pick.

With the entire league excited to see Kawhi in action again, many top NBA pages reposted his first basket of the season to welcome him back.

Via NBA: “WELCOME BACK, KAWHI LEONARD.”

Via Bleacher Report: “THE BEARD [TO] KAWHI FOR HIS FIRST BUCKET OF THE SEASON”

Via SportsCenter: “Welcome back, Kawhi Leonard”

Leonard ended his night with 12 points on 4-11 shooting in just 19 minutes as the Clippers eased him back into action. With much of the 2024-25 season still left to play, Leonard has plenty of time to make a difference and raise the ceiling for this LA squad.

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