Kawhi Leonard Articles - Page 47

Los Angeles Clippers’ newest superstar Kawhi Leonard has been voted as the best player in the NBA right now by some experts from ESPN. Leonard got 12 of the 20 votes from the ESPN personnel, while Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo got six and Houston Rockets’ James Harden received two. Last season, Leonard led the Toronto […]

Over the past couple of years, there have been several discussions about how “load management” is being used in the NBA. Most teams put their players under that tag if they want to rest them, but for others, it’s more than just that. Toronto Raptors assistant coach Alex McKechnie was a key player in developing […]

While the Los Angeles Lakers worried about lining up two separate meetings with Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors were assured the last one before he made his free-agent decision, the LA Clippers went about their business in an effective way that helped seal the deal. The Clippers not only met with Leonard at Doc […]

The LA Clippers pulled out all the stops to bring in prized free agent Kawhi Leonard. They succeeded, getting the reigning Finals MVP to buy into their vision as he heads to an all-important phase in his career. According to a special insider report by The Athletic, LA had a masterful pitch for Leonard in […]

The trade that sent Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the LA Clippers came as a total shock only seconds after Kawhi Leonard’s agreement to join the team had been report. While earlier reports suggested Leonard actively recruited George and asked him to demand a trade, that is supposedly “not accurate,” according to […]

The entire NBA world had waited nearly seven long days on Kawhi Leonard’s decision earlier this July. His decision came down to both his hometown Los Angeles squads, the Lakers and the Clippers, and the team he just won a championship with, the Toronto Raptors. Leonard was very careful making his decision, placing the entire […]

The prospect of joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the Los Angeles Lakers wasn’t one that particularly appealed to Kawhi Leonard and his “core sensibilities.” The two-time Finals MVP has built a resume as a dynasty killer, not a dynasty forger, which played a strong part in his decision to go across the hall […]

It seems the Los Angeles Lakers were never as close to getting Kawhi Leonard as rumored. The Lakers had set up two separate meetings — one with owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka, and another with former president Magic Johnson, who served as the unofficial recruiter-in-chief of the operation. Shortly after Johnson and […]

LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer saw an opportunity to bring in a pair of All-Star-caliber players this summer, spearheading the charge to get Kawhi Leonard and Paul George after a conscientious two-year rebuilding process. The Clippers spent 48 hours negotiating the framework to a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder to get George, and those […]

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says he has heard from people around the NBA that Kawhi Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, was asking potential suitors in free agency for “houses, planes, sponsorship, guaranteed sponsorship money” as perks. Leonard signed a three-year, $103.14 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Both the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers […]

A Los Angeles Lakers is still salty about Kawhi Leonard choosing the Los Angeles Clippers. The said fan heckled the two-time Finals MVP during the Pacquiao-Thurman fight on Saturday night, calling the Fun Guy the most overrated player in the history of professional sports. https://twitter.com/pickuphoop/status/1153033072142671878 Kawhi turned down the Lakers in free agency, choosing to […]

The Los Angeles Clippers are leaving the NBA’s free-agency period with the best haul. Collecting Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the latter via trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, is in itself a title of sorts, but the Clippers and fans have a different trophy in mind come 2020. That being said, the Clippers still […]

FS1 commentator Skip Bayless shared a short story of meeting Kawhi Leonard’s infamous Uncle Dennis at the WBA welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman. While Pacquiao won a split decision against Thurman, Bayless, sitting ringside, was approached by Leonard’s relative. “His name is Kawhi Leonard,” Dennis told Bayless at the fight, referring […]

This summer is easily one of the best offseasons we’ve had not only in recent years, but arguably throughout the entire history of the NBA. There was absolutely no shortage of suspense and drama, and what most people would say is that the move that made the most impact this summer would have to be […]

For the first time in his career, Danny Green will be playing against his long-time teammate Kawhi Leonard. Green was one of the players who waited for Leonard’s free agency decision, and when it was made official that the reigning Finals MVP was joining the Los Angeles Clippers, the veteran forward then announced that he […]

Apparently, Paul George was not the only player that Kawhi Leonard successfully recruited to the Los Angeles Clippers. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Leonard also personally pitched forward JaMychal Green, who officially re-signed with the Clippers on Thursday: “I’m told Leonard has been steadfast in his recruitment of players this summer, not only pitching […]

The Kawhi Leonard summer of mystery still is the gift that keeps on giving, even two weeks after he announced his commitment to the LA Clippers. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Clippers also eyed Russell Westbrook as a potential partner for Leonard, but Kawhi preferred Paul George: “Sam, I began to hear […]

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that teams are still annoyed about how Kawhi Leonard went about free agency, in particular, the Los Angeles Lakers.  The team apparently feels like Leonard led them along when he knew he would not be signing with them: “I’ve heard complaints in the days after the signing. I heard complaints […]

The Los Angeles Clippers will officially introduce star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on July 24th. Head Clippers personnel will be in attendance for the big reveal: The #Clippers will host a press conference to officially welcome both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on Wednesday, July 24th at 12pm. Governor Steve Ballmer, President Lawrence […]

The war to gain the rights to the “Klaw” logo continues. After Leonard reportedly filed a federal lawsuit against Nike, claiming that the logo was actually his design, the giant sports apparel company has fired back, saying that they own the logo and that Kawhi should no longer be using it since their contract ended […]

Kawhi Leonard’s tenure in Toronto came to an abrupt end when the two-time NBA Finals MVP defected to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Raptors need a new player to spearhead the franchise. The defending champion Raptors are counting on Pascal Siakam, the league’s Most Improved Player of the 2018-19 season, to become the centerpiece of […]

The Toronto Raptors will have huge adjustments to make in the 2019-20 season following the departure of Kawhi Leonard, but head coach Nick Nurse already has a plan in mind. Nurse said that the Raptors will be relying on ball movement, which was a key factor during their title run last season. The second-year head […]

Los Angeles Clippers consultant and NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West admits he’s never seen anything like Kawhi Leonard’s recruitment of Paul George. George signed a four-year contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer worth $136.9 million. The expectation around the league was George would play out that contract in OKC. Leonard, though, had […]

The NBA has turned into a positionless league. Undersized players are beginning to guard all five positions while big men can step out and shoot the three with ease. Winning in the NBA today requires two things. First, high-quality shooting ability. Second, championship-level teams must have a superstar to take over the game at the […]

It’s a new era in Los Angeles, and that means Clippers basketball has re-branded into the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George known commodity. George and Leonard (or at least their appearances) are getting their first taste of the Hollywood sun in a new billboard nearby the Staples Center, the home for the Clippers and Lakers. […]

Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum had a pretty good idea superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard was going to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers over the Los Angeles Lakers. McCollum says from a competitive standpoint, Leonard didn’t want to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Instead, the two-time Finals MVP wanted to defeat […]

While he might be teammates with LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers now, Anthony Davis is not afraid to speak his mind on James’ being higher-ranked than Kawhi Leonard in 2K20. When Davis was questioned on the order of the top players, he admitted that he thought Leonard would’ve been ranked higher than his […]

The LA Clippers gave up a massive haul of five first-round picks to acquire Paul George, a transaction that would be unfathomable if done at the trade deadline. Yet context plays a big part as to why they were willing to mortgage their potentially bright future, as the now could be even brighter by signing […]

Most Improved Player Pascal Siakam had little to say about former teammate Kawhi Leonard and his departure from the Toronto Raptors after one year of service, instead claiming his team is still the defending champions, living up every ounce of glory through the course of this summer: “We’re still the champs right now, so I’m […]

The Los Angeles Lakers were the story of the summer until the Los Angeles Clippers swooped in and stole the show, landing both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the same night the weekend after Independence Day. The additions of Leonard and George instantly made the Clippers title contenders, and the fact that they also […]

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and Los Angeles Clippers newcomer Kawhi Leonard are tied at 97 for the highest player rating in NBA 2K20. Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks came in at third. Top 3 individual NBA 2K20 ratings have been revealed! 1a. LeBron James: 971b. Kawhi Leonard: 973. Giannis Antetokounmpo: […]

The Los Angeles Clippers appear to be the strongest NBA team on paper; however, their superstar duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is only the second-highest rated partnership in the upcoming video game NBA 2K20. LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers are tagged with the highest rating at 95.5, albeit […]

NBA Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Clippers consultant Jerry West believes Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are the best two-way players in basketball. Leonard signed a three-year deal with the Clippers, who traded for George after receiving a commitment from Leonard. West says it’s remarkable LAC was able to get two superstars on the […]

Los Angeles Clippers consultant Jerry West isn’t sure the franchise could have traded for Paul George had Kawhi Leonard not recruited him. Leonard convinced George to request a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Clippers. West says it was an unbelievable night when they got a commitment from Leonard and agreed to acquire […]

Hall of Famer Jerry West says he had a “very small” role in the Los Angeles Clippers’ signing of superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard. West is a special consultant with the Clippers. The “Logo” says Los Angeles’ front office, led by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, general manager Michael Winger and assistant general managers […]

Last week, the final domino in free agency fell when Kawhi Leonard chose the LA Clippers. He also found a way to get Paul George to join him. The move made Los Angeles the official hot spot for sports with Leonard and George on the Clippers as well as LeBron James and Anthony Davis on […]

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis was never quite sure how to approach the one player who could have completed a masterful trio with his new team — Kawhi Leonard. The Finals MVP kept the remaining free agents on hold for nearly six days after free agency began, as the decision was revealed only hours […]

At his introductory press conference with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, Anthony Davis talked about why he waived his $4 million trade kicker and the team’s pursuit of Kawhi Leonard. Davis said to acquire a guy like Leonard, you basically have to do everything you can. By waiving his trade kicker, Davis helped the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers missed out on free agency’s biggest name, costing them the chance to bring in so many helpful smaller ones. Now that the dust has settled with the Lakers’ roster mostly set and the cross-arena LA Clippers having emerged as his team’s chief competition in the Western Conference, Los Angeles general manager […]