Kawhi Leonard’s recruiting efforts caught Paul George by surprise, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Leonard was able to convince George to request a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Leonard and George now form an elite dynamic duo with the Clippers, who are title contenders with the two All-Stars on the roster. Along with George and Leonard, LAC also has Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Landry Shamet, Patrick Beverley, Maurice Harkless and one of the best coaches in the game in Doc Rivers.

Leonard, 28, is from Riverside, a sprawling Inland Empire town about an hour and a half east of L.A. Both had been lightly recruited out of high school, found their footing as players at mid-major colleges (George at Fresno State, Leonard at San Diego State) and then quietly entered the NBA as mid-first-round picks. Still, Leonard’s recruiting efforts caught George by surprise. Said one source close to George, “For a quiet guy, he’s a hell of a recruiter.”

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Leonard agreed to a four-year, $141 million contract with the Clippers. LAC sent Oklahoma City their unprotected 2022, 2024 and 2026 picks, their unprotected 2021 and protected 2023 first-round picks via the Miami Heat and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari in exchange for George.

Leonard is The King of the NBA right now. He just won his second Finals MVP and shocked the world on Friday by convincing George to ditch OKC for the Clips.