LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers witnessed the standing ovation that Kawhi Leonard received in his return to Toronto. For the head coach, both the Raptors and its fans put on a classy welcome.
Rivers pointed out that the small ceremony welcoming Leonard and handing his championship ring is the best he's seen ever.
"I can tell you… that ovation to him (Kawhi) was very heartfelt. And it meant a lot to him"
Doc Rivers gives props to the @Raptors organization & fans.#ClipperNation • @LAClippers pic.twitter.com/VGDoIvxIWD
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) December 12, 2019
The ceremony happened right before tipoff. Leonard's former teammates all went to center court to hug him. The last one to give him a dab was Kyle Lowry, who also gave him the championship ring. All throughout, the Raptors home crowd was cheering for Leonard. There were even MVP chants.
Board Man got his ring pic.twitter.com/NzUZgLM886
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 12, 2019
Leonard certainly made the most out of his one-year stay in Canada. Not only did he lead the team to its first title in franchise history, but he also made an entire country happy and proud.
Although the Raptors fans would've been a lot happier if Leonard had stayed, they completely understood his decision to leave for the Clippers. It was an opportunity for the 6-foot-7 forward to come back home to Los Angeles as well as not jeopardizing his chances for a title as he is flanked by another two-way star in Paul George and an already existing nucleus fresh off a competitive series against the eventual finalists.
Besides, the NBA is the toughest basketball league in the world. Many teams have tried every single year to get that Larry O'Brien trophy. Unfortunately, many, too, have failed. But Leonard and the Raptors did it in their first-ever trip. And that will always be something special.
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