Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers is known around the league—and by all NBA fans—as being a stoic, solemn presence on and off the court. That makes him ripe for parody by legions of NBA fans on Twitter.
Seeing as Leonard was forced to wear a full face mask in his team’s Wednesday night game against the Portland Trail Blazers, the jokesters were out in full force after Leonard made his debut in the mask:
Masked Kawhi is here 👀 pic.twitter.com/48UjNUzetz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 31, 2020
As you can see, the mask is not the most flattering thing a two-time Finals MVP could wear on his face. Perhaps the most notable lookalike was Dwight Schrute from “The Office,” who wore a similar mask in the iconic “Basketball” episode.
— Joey Bacon (@JoeyBacon6) December 31, 2020
Another person thought the mask resembled fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter, though thankfully Leonard’s mask lacks the metal around the mouth.
— •Mikey~Jay• (@mikey_mike26) December 31, 2020
hannibal leonard pic.twitter.com/wUXwghArvv
— blackdragonroll (@blackdragonroll) December 31, 2020
All of these jokes were made in good fun, despite the fact that the mouth injury Leonard sustained to force him to wear this mask needed eight stitches to close.




Perhaps Leonard’s antics are rife for parody because his own attempts to be funny or personable (such as the inimitable “fun guy” press conference, or the robotic laugh that followed it) come off as strange and uncomfortable at times.
Still, let’s hope this rather amusing mask keeps Kawhi Leonard safe and healthy as the Clips look to wash away the bad taste from their 3-1 collapse last postseason against the Denver Nuggets.
A few other notable responses to Leonard’s now legendary mask can be seen below:
Kawhi when he sees this pic.twitter.com/4rCcmGHFXb
— p (@lostboyindawrld) December 31, 2020
“Mask goes over the mouth AND nose” 😂 https://t.co/4Dj7OQO4TA
— Mickey Ingles (@MickeyInglesLaw) December 31, 2020
https://twitter.com/makeupbully/status/1344482926432436230
— packers season 9-8 (@PackersJohn) December 31, 2020