Kawhi Leonard Articles - Page 49

The Los Angeles Clippers made a massive splash in free agency earlier this month when they have announced that they have acquired reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Both players were officially introduced today, and the franchise is obviously excited about their future with these superstars leading the way. Clippers’ President of Basketball […]

When Kawhi Leonard was traded from the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors last summer, the general consensus was that it would be just a pit stop for Leonard before bolting to Los Angeles. Turns out, that’s exactly what it was. Yes, Leonard won a championship with the Raptors this past year, but that […]

The Lakers and Clippers have not yet even played a game against each other with their revamped rosters, but Kawhi Leonard has already started the war of the words. In his introductory press conference with his new team, the Klaw pointed out that the Clippers have been the superior team in the past few years: […]

When free agency began, there were some people who expected Kawhi Leonard to ultimately sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, and the general consensus was that he would take another star player with him. But no one anticipated that star would be Paul George, who signed a contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder last […]

Los Angeles Clippers small forward Kawhi Leonard just scared the entire NBA by saying he wasn’t even 100 percent at the start of last season and is at full strength now. Leonard dealt with his lingering quadriceps injury last season and suffered from left knee tendinitis in the 2019 NBA Finals. Kawhi Leonard says he […]

Kawhi Leonard is well-known for being a very reserved guy, so it comes as no surprise that he wanted his free-agency process kept quiet before ultimately signing with the Los Angeles Clippers. At his introductory press conference on Wednesday, Leonard explained why he prefers to keep things under wraps: “A lot of things are made […]

In his first comments since leaving the Toronto Raptors and signing with the Los Angeles Clippers, Kawhi Leonard has thanked the Raptors and the city of Toronto. Leonard says the Raptors’ championship parade was the best parade ever: Kawhi Leonard – "I want to think the Toronto #Raptors fans. I don't have social media so […]

The Los Angeles Clippers stole the show this NBA offseason, signing Kawhi Leonard and pulling off a trade to land Paul George, giving the Clippers one of the best tandems in the league. On Wednesday, both Leonard and George were formally introduced as new members of the Clippers, but head coach Doc Rivers is far […]

Los Angeles Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank says acquiring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is a “landmark moment” for the franchise. With Leonard and George on the roster, the Clippers are title contenders for the first time in franchise history. “This is a landmark moment” for the franchise, Lawrence Frank said. “It means […]

The Los Angeles Clippers shocked the entire basketball world when it was announced they acquired Kawhi Leonard and traded for Paul George two weeks ago. Those were literally the biggest news in sports at that time because the team was never seen as a potential destination for Leonard and George never gave any indication that […]

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 […]