You know what they say about guys with big hands? They win multiple rings and a couple of Finals MVP trophies. Just ask Kawhi Leonard.
The man is nicknamed ‘The Klaw” for a reason. His hands are just enormous, especially considering he's a wing player and not a seven foot behemoth lurking in the paint.
Sportscasting's Darrelle Thompson shares the true measurement of Kawhi Leonard's mitts.
Kawhi Leonard has hands that measure 9.75 inches long and 11.25 inches wide. This gives him the ability to pick off passes through the air without an issue, and he has even pulled off an amazing no-look steal. His defense has been one of the key components to Toronto’s dominance in the Eastern Conference.
It's no secret that Kawhi's dominant claws help him lock down just about any player he faced on the defensive end. Leonard has made the all-defensive team 5 times in his career and has won the defensive player of the year award twice already, an award that is typically reserved for shot blocking big men.
To be able to give a proper comparison, let's see how his hands stack up with other legendary NBA hands.
Again, Kawhi Leonard's handles measured at 9.75 inches long and 11.25 inches wide.
Michael Jordan, who a lot of people find to be the model for Kawhi's game, had smaller hands at 8.7 inches long and 11.4 inches wide. Despite being of similar size, Leonard has a much greater hand size than His Airness.
Wilt Chamberlain had his hands at 9.5 inches long and 11.5 inches wide. This is a near-identical match for Kawhi's hands, with just a couple of shifted dimensions. To think that Wilt is known for being a legendary physical specimen and is much larger than Kawhi, but has the same hand size is just absurd.
Leonard can find a worthy match in former Lakers great Shaquille O'Neal, whose hands measure at 10.25 inches long and 12 inches wide. But Shaq is also a 7'2 behemoth while Kawhi is out here putting his paws on wing players. The fact that his hands are even close to the size of Shaq's is just a scary thought.
The next time you see Kawhi putting the clamps on someone defensively, watch the hands. They might be his worst kept secret.
Follow Us
Subscribe