Face of the franchise? Darius Garland embraces responsibility with LA Clippers

HONOLULU — Los Angeles Clippers guard Darius Garland donated $100,000 through his family foundation to the Greater Gary Storm Recovery and Relief Fund this summer as his home state of Indiana recovered from a devastating August storm. Garland wanted to aid the city where several of his family members and friends still live.

“My mom [says], ‘This too shall pass,’” Garland, 26, told Andscape after Clippers practice at the University of Hawaii on Sept. 29. “So, that’s the same thing that’s going to happen here. We got the natural disasters going on. But we are going to get back up as we always do and just keep fighting.

“And I’ve done that for myself my entire life, my career. I’ve had a lot of injuries, banged up, bumps and bruises. But I still keep my head up high, get back up and keep thriving and try to push through that wall.”

Garland also believes “this too shall pass” for the Clippers as they try to ride out their mammoth storm.

The NBA announced Sept. 2 that the Clippers and forward Kawhi Leonard violated league rules regarding salary cap circumvention. Following a lengthy investigation, the league determined that the team violated its collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union by arranging outside endorsement opportunities for the eight-time All-Star.

Leonard, who was recently traded back to the Toronto Raptors where he played during the 2018-19 season, was fined $700,000 but received no suspension. The Clippers were fined $30 million and must forfeit five first-round picks. Additionally, owner Steve Ballmer, basketball operations president Lawrence Frank, and business operations president Gillian Zucker are serving league-mandated suspensions.

“It’s a lot that happened,” Garland said. “But this too shall pass. I’m not really worried about this year. The next five years are really going to determine what happens. We stand in the present, stand where our feet are right now. That’s all we can do is just work, keep getting better and work with the guys that we have right now. So, day by day, [we’re] getting better every day.”

The Raptors acquired Leonard from the Clippers on Sept. 21 in exchange for forward Brandon Ingram, guard/forward Gradey Dick, two future first-round draft picks, one future first-round pick swap and two future second-round picks.

Leonard led the Clippers in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals per game last season. Ingram, who averaged 21.5 points per game with Toronto last season, will miss the start of the 2026-2027 campaign and has no timetable for his debut due to a partially torn Achilles tendon and a right heel injury.

With or without Ingram, an argument could be made that Garland is now the face of the Clippers. Garland averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game in 19 regular-season games for Los Angeles last season after being dealt midseason from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two-time NBA All-Star is also the Clippers’ highest-paid player, making $42 million this season.

Garland — who had 15 points, six assists and three rebounds in his preseason debut against the Golden Stare Warriors on Sunday — is excited about his first opportunity to prove he can lead a franchise on and off the court.

“I thought about it a little over the summertime,” Garland said. “It’s definitely something I want. I’ve been through a lot in this career and I’m ready to take on the reins of that, especially in Year 8. I’ve actually found myself a little bit and I know where I want to get to.

“And that’s a part of my plan, where I want to get better so I can get where I want to be. So, definitely, I’m ready for the opportunity.”

In a message to Clippers fans, Garland also added: “Be patient. There is a lot that is going on this year. We got a lot of new faces coming in. So, we definitely have to be patient. Got to get through a lot of the bumps and bruises even though we want to win games at a high rate. It’s going to happen. It’s a long season and it will get better every game.”

Garland is known for having a laid-back, positive demeanor. He has never been in a position where he was needed to be the main leader of an NBA team. Garland said his goal was to “be a leader and be a spark” for the Clippers when they acquired him in February.

Garland now says he has the ability to be a vocal leader for the Clippers. He hosted a “Call of Duty” video game competition for his teammates, went with young guard Kobe Sanders to a USC football game, and went with rookie guard Keaton Wagler to a Los Angeles Rams game. Garland also spent much of his offseason in Los Angeles working out and rehabbing at the Clippers’ practice facility.

“I’m definitely comfortable using my voice,” Garland said. “I just got to get used to using it all the time. I had a lot of good players that I had with me [in Cleveland] like [Donovan Mitchell]. But now I’m the head of the snake with the ball in my hands 99 percent of the time. So, I definitely got to dig down deep and actually get it out sometimes. That’s the thing I’m working on right now.”

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue and new Clippers forward Max Strus, who played with Garland in Cleveland, believe Garland has the needed leadership skills.

“The summer Darius had was unbelievable,” Lue said. “As a max player, a guy who has been an All-Star in this league, to be in here all summer getting the rehab, being on his toes, putting the work in on his body, getting stronger, lifting every single day, it’s very uncommon. So, to see him do that this summer just shows his approach and how serious he is about this season.

“[He’s] just taking that approach of being a leader on and off the court every single day. We talked about that on [Aug. 28] in our meeting. He’s on the right track.”

Said Strus: “He has the ability to control a whole room with the way he acts and his attitude, the way he controls himself every single day. We feed off of him, and he knows that. He’s already taken steps from when I was in Cleveland with him in a positive direction. I’m proud of him for that and he’s going to keep learning and keep getting better.”

Another key to Garland’s success is finally having healthy toes.

Garland’s toe issues began in March 2025, and they caused him to miss several playoff games for the Cavs. He had reconstructive surgery on his left great toe in June of last year. Garland missed the first seven games with Cleveland last season while recovering from surgery. He added that there was a point in Cleveland when he was wearing “a steel plate in my shoe that wouldn’t allow me to bend my toe.”

Garland was diagnosed with a Grade 1 sprain of his right big toe on Jan. 17 after diving for a loose ball against Philadelphia, sidelining him for more than a week. He had surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left big toe (severe turf toe/sprain) on June 9 that had hampered him through the end of the regular season and the playoffs. Now, Garland says his toes are healthy, which should allow him to regain his previous All-Star form.

“Body is good. Toe is 100 percent,” Garland said. “I’ve been working a lot on that all summer. I’m ready to go, man, 100 percent. I’ve been in the lab [gym], working as much as I can, trying to get stronger. The conditioning feels really good.”

Said Strus: “There is going to be a lot riding on DG’s shoulders, but we are here to support him and push him through that. And he’s capable of [succeeding]. He’s a hell of a basketball player. He’s battled some tough injuries. He’s been through a lot in his short span in the league. I’m really excited to see him fully healthy.”

Additional motivation for Garland this season is feeling overlooked and forgotten after being traded by the Cavs.

Garland appeared in 408 regular-season games with the Cavaliers from 2019-26, averaging 18.8 points, 6.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. The Cavs, however, traded him for James Harden in hopes of winning a title last season, and advanced to the 2026 Eastern Conference finals. Now, Garland plans to remind Clippers and NBA followers that he can be one of the league’s elite players.

Given the Clippers’ challenging present, there is no better time for Garland to reawaken.

“Everybody felt I was out of the league, basically,” Garland said. “But now I’m trying to get that spark back. Trying to get back to that All-Star level that I’m used to being in.”

---

Gary, Indiana, is known for being the home of celebrities like Garland; music icons Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and The Jackson 5; former NBA star Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson; rapper Freddie Gibbs; singer Deniece Williams; and former NFL stars Fred Williamson and Alex Karras.

Garland was born in Gary, and his parents, former NBA guard Winston Garland and Felicia Garland, are from there.

Mayor Eddie Melton is trying to revitalize Gary, which has been affected by decades of manufacturing contraction, leaving behind thousands of abandoned buildings, a shrinking population of roughly 68,000, high poverty rates and a struggling public school system.

By 2010, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report had placed Gary at the top of the list for murder rates among U.S. cities with populations between 50,000 and 99,999 people, according to CBS Chicago. The Garlands also moved from Gary to Nashville, Tennessee, when Darius was in the sixth grade because of concerns about violence and other struggles in the city.

“A lot of people don’t know about Gary unless you know about the Jackson 5 or Michael Jackson,” Garland said. “It’s pretty hard to sleep on us though because we are so close to Chicago. We’re the little brother of Chicago. But it’s just a hard-nosed, blue-collar city, majority Black. A lot of violence. A lot of drugs. It’s really a blessing that I made it out, for real.

“There are a lot of people that don’t make it out by 25. Some of my friends died when I was 12. It was bad when I was growing up already. Our parents had to make a sacrifice for our family and moved to Nashville.”

Garland’s pride in Gary can be seen every NBA game, as he wears a tattoo representing his hometown on his right leg. Amid efforts to right the Clippers, Garland also hopes to inspire the youth of Gary.

“I keep a smile on my face and keep my head up high no matter what is going on in my career, my life,” Garland said.