He signed for the LA Clippers after they agreed to trade for Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder, pairing two of the league’s best wing players. A native of Riverside, California, it was believed the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers had the best chance of signing him.
KAWHI LEONARD STATS FREE
Leonard again received the Finals MVP award.Īs the 2019 offseason began, many teams had high hopes that they could land the free agent Leonard.
The team defeated an injury-plagued Golden State Warriors, earning the franchise’s first championship. He beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round with a famous buzzer-beater that bounced four times and helped slow down the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antentokoumpo in the conference finals as the Raptors won 4 games to 2.
The team earned the second seed in the playoffs, and Leonard took on a starring role in the postseason. The team was cautious with his injury, and he only played 60 regular-season games, but over the course of the season returned to the form that allowed him to dominate both ends of the court. The 2018 season ended with plenty of speculation that the Spurs would seek to trade their star player.ĭespite only having one year left on his contract, Leonard was acquired by the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a draft pick. Leonard ended up playing only 9 games in the season, and trust broke down between him and the Spurs. Later reporting suggested that Leonard’s personal doctors and team medical staff disagreed on the best treatment for his injury. It was known that Leonard would miss much of the beginning of the 2017-2018 season after his postseason injury, but as the timeline for his return kept being pushed back under vague circumstances, many around the team were irked by the confusion. An injury in the Conference Finals against the eventual champions Golden State Warriors ended the Spurs’ championship hopes and led to the beginning of the tension between Leonard and his team. In 2017, his growth into the Spurs’ primary offensive weapon, along with another All-Defensive First Team appearance, pushed him into the MVP conversation. In 2015 he was also selected as the Defensive Player of the Year, while in 2016 he earned his first All-Star selection. After 12.8 points per game in their championship-winning year, he improved to 16.5, 21.2, and 25.5 points per game in the next three years. Leonard’s offensive role continued to grow. The Spurs won easily in five games behind a historic offensive performance, but Leonard’s shutdown defense on LeBron James earned him the NBA Finals MVP award. In 2013, they lost in seven games to LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and the Miami Heat. In his second and third years in the league, the Spurs made two memorable trips to the NBA finals. Even in these early years, he was developing into an elite three and D role player. Leonard’s three-point shooting was better than many expected, averaging over 37% in his first three years. He was named to the All-Rookie First Team and placed fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. Leonard had a strong rookie year, playing in 64 games and averaging 7.9 points per game despite having a limited offensive role behind players like Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. He was viewed as an excellent defensive prospect with limited offensive potential. The San Antonio Spurs surprised many observers by trading point guard George Hill to the Indiana Pacers for the rights to select Leonard with the 15th overall pick.
Kawhi Leonard’s hands, strong build, long arms, and aggressive defensive instincts have won him multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards and many consider him one of the greatest perimeter defenders of all time. He regularly takes the toughest defensive assignments while also working as his team’s primary scoring threat. In both his NBA Finals wins, he was awarded the NBA Finals MVP.Īlways known for his strong defensive play at the small forward position, Leonard has evolved to be a true superstar, one of the best players on both offensive and defensive ends. He has already won NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors, and in 2019 moved to the LA Clippers who are seen as strong championship contenders. Since then, he has become one of the most successful active NBA players.
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Kawhi Leonard was a relative unknown when the San Antonio Spurs famously traded up to select him in the 2011 NBA Draft. Kawhi Leonard Biography Details, Age, Net Worth, and Basketball Career
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