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Kawhi Leonard was officially introduced as a member of the LA Clippers on Wednesday. While most of the focus of the introductory press conference for he and Paul George centered on the Clippers' new existence as championship contenders, if not frontrunners, a lot of attention was paid to Leonard's general geniality.
One of the most publicly reserved superstars in NBA history, Leonard was clearly in a more outgoing mood than normal on Wednesday. So much so, in fact, that he even provided the basketball world another iteration of his famous laugh.
Leonard's laugh first gained notoriety when it was played over the loudspeaker during home games while he was with the San Antonio Spurs. The reigning Finals MVP gave the obsession with his laugh new life last month, when he took the mic at the Toronto Raptors' championship celebration, closing his remarks with a long, drawn out chuckle.
Leonard signed a three-year, $103 million deal with the Clippers earlier this month, a deal that was predicated on the team trading for George. LA beat out the Raptors and cross-arena rival Los Angeles Lakers for the 27-year-old, who staked his claim as the game's best player throughout a historic run to the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
He averaged 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists during the regular season, but faced criticism for playing in only 60 games due to load management stemming from the quad injury that caused him to miss nearly all of 2017-18. Those critics were notably quiet during the postseason, as Leonard led Toronto to first first ever championship, averaging 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
