The NBA is full of influential athletes, but which player in the league currently has the most power? Is it LeBron James? Is it Kevin Durant? ESPN analyst and former NBA player Ryan Hollins thinks it's Kawhi Leonard.
Hollins makes a great point.
The fact that Kawhi Leonard currently has the entire league on standby is a pretty big indicator of his power, and whichever team he signs with will automatically become title contenders.
Leonard is said to be choosing between the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers in free agency.
The 28-year-old spent the 2018-19 campaign with the Raptors, leading the franchise to its first NBA championship and taking home Finals MVP honors in the process.
Leonard spent the first seven years of his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs and won a championship in 2014. However, due to a disconnect between Leonard and the Spurs organization in the 2017-18 season concerning his quad injury, Leonard demanded a trade and was ultimately dealt to Toronto last summer.
The general consensus was that Leonard would play just one year with the Raptors before bolting to Los Angeles in free agency this offseason, but after winning the title, Toronto now holds some weight in discussions.
Leonard is expected to make his decision sometime soon, and whatever choice he makes will unquestionably set the NBA world ablaze.
Ryan Hollins might be right: Kawhi Leonard may very well be the most powerful man in the sport in 2019.
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