Kawhi Leonard Articles - Page 86

Ryan Anderson knows his role. And that role will be an interesting one if Kawhi Leonard is ever defending him. Anderson had this quick joke when asked about what his strategy will be if the two-time Defensive Player of the Year is every guarding him. Ryan Anderson: "If Kawhi wants to guard me the whole […]

As the Grizzlies have battled back to tie their first-round series with the Spurs, Kawhi Leonard has remained playing some of the best basketball of his career. In an overtime win last night for the Grizz, Leonard put up 43 points while making seven threes and six steals. All along he remained checking Memphis’ top […]

San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard‘s stellar play in the first four games of their series against the Memphis Grizzlies has already given David Fizdale a lot of headaches. With averages of 32.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals, the first-year head coach now has a deeper understanding of why he is widely considered […]

Kawhi Leonard once again had a huge game on Saturday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. Not only did he finish with a very impressive stat line of 43 points, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and six steals, but he once again made history on the night. […]

The San Antonio Spurs weren’t exactly happy to get an early rest at the start of the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of their first round series. Down only four points to start the half, the starters turned the ball over twice in the opening 52 seconds, causing their tenured head coach […]

One of the longest running jokes during Tim Duncan‘s illustrious career with the Spurs was that he was a robot. Duncan was so consistent throughout his career that it just seemed like he was a machine programmed to play basketball. Well, now that Duncan has retired, it seems like yet another Spurs All-Star is being […]

Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James have long been compared for their superb play and ability to dominate games, while playing the same position. Now that their teams are both leading 2-0 in their first round playoff series, their advanced statistics have once again been measured against each other. Their player efficiency rating, true shooting percentage, […]

As good as he has been the past couple of seasons, many are expecting solid production from Kawhi Leonard in every game he plays in. Following another stellar performance in Game 2 of their first round series against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, the San Antonio Spurs forward once again made history. By finishing with […]

While many are considering him as a candidate to win the MVP Award this season, Boston Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas was recently asked who he thinks should win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. Known for never lacking confidence, especially about his game, the 5-foot-9 point guard surprisingly did not choose himself as the deserving winner of the […]

Usually around this time every season like clockwork, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers sings the praises of DeAndre Jordan, campaigning for him to be the Defensive Player of the Year. Not this year. Rivers is in full support of Kawhi Leonard winning the award for what would be the third season in a […]

Before Kawhi Leonard became the NBA superstar that he is today, Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs faced a huge decision before securing his services back in 2011. With George Hill emerging as a solid point guard, the team were torn in giving him up for the former San Diego State Aztec. The veteran […]

Muscling his way into the MVP conversation with his elite two-way play, Spurs All-Star Kawhi Leonard has quickly emerged as one of the best players in the league. Always extremely skilled on the defensive end, Leonard’s hard work has made him a go-to player on offense for San Antonio as well. And because of his work ethic […]

Despite already assured of the second seed in the Western Conference, San Antonio Spurs star forward Kawhi Leonard has no plans to take extra nights off to rest his body for the playoffs. The reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year made his intentions known for his team’s last six games of the regular season, via […]

Kawhi Leonard had nothing on his mind other than winning Sunday night, so much so, that he was unfazed after getting hit with a towel as he was answering a question from his post-game interview. Only Kawhi could be completely unfazed by someone launching a towel at him mid-interview… https://t.co/6pHKduIrEO — Dime (@DimeUPROXX) April 3, 2017 […]

Due to his spectacular play on both ends of the court, the other aspects of the game where Kawhi Leonard also excels at often gets overlooked. Not only do a lot of people fail to notice his much-improved scoring prowess, which has been evident by finishing in double figures in 100 straight games, but also his […]

What does it mean to be the Most Valuable Player? Going by its bare definition, it is a thing that is of great worth or something extremely useful or important. While there are many different concepts and opinions of what it really means to be an MVP and who it should be this season, one […]

On Monday, the San Antonio Spurs won their game versus the Cleveland Cavaliers in a blowout, 103-74. Not only did they hand the defending champions their second-worst loss of the year, but they also swept the season series against them. However, for Kawhi Leonard, it doesn’t mean anything. Being the veteran that he is, the 25-year-old […]

Because of his defensive prowess, Kawhi Leonard‘s brilliance on the offensive end has often been overlooked. On Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs forward reached another feat in his stellar career and joined an elite group of players in the process. By finishing on a fastbreak dunk in the second quarter of his team’s match against […]

Kobe Bryant is widely regarded as the one of the best to ever play the game. That being said, it’s not easy to impress him because of his sheer greatness and talent. However, he recently revealed who among the current stars in the league he enjoys watching. The five-time champion named Oklahoma City Thunder‘s Russell Westbrook, […]

San Antonio Spurs talisman Kawhi Leonard is learning valuable lessons down the stretch of a grueling NBA season. Coming off a hard-earned 97-90 win over the grit-and-grind Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, the 6-foot-7 forward had to battle for every one of his 19 points in the game, forced to defer to his teammates to pick up […]

Kawhi Leonard is widely regarded as one of the top two-way players in the league today while doing his best to lead his team to a title this season. However, that’s not the only thing that’s keeping him busy these days. The San Antonio Spurs forward recently produced and starred in a documentary, with the […]

If the 2017 All-Star Game were to start this very day, Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia would be starting in the game next to his teammate Kevin Durant. It seems like Pachulia once again has had the unconditional support of the entire country of Georgia frantically voting to see their hero in one of […]

We’ve tested your knowledge before by seeing if you could guess the NBA legend from just one fact about them. Now let’s see if you can do better with current or recently retired basketball stars. Test your knowledge below!

The San Antonio Spurs spread some holiday cheer among young local fans as swingman Kawhi Leonard dressed up as Santa Claus (or shall we say Santa Klaws?) to meet-and-greet kids and surprise them with presents. https://vine.co/v/52hlUMiPDA3 The sheer joy in this kids faces makes it all worth it, even if Santa has lost some of his […]

The NBA is oozing talent this season with the likes of Russell Westbrook and James Harden threatening for triple-doubles every time they step on the floor. According to a poll conducted by ESPN Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman, NBA executives around the league prefer San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard as their top frontcourt player of […]

For the San Antonio Spurs, an inevitable change took place. Franchise legend Tim Duncan retired in the offseason, leaving behind an illustrious 19-year career. The 40-year-old made way for younger talent on the roster, as head coach Gregg Popovich attempts to build for the future, around All-Star talents, Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. The coaching […]

Gregg Popovich didn’t directly say it, but it’s hard not to imagine who he was referring to with these comments. While describing what he likes about Kawhi Leonard, Pop seemingly described Stephen Curry when detailing what he likes that Leonard does not do. Here is the full quote, via SB Nation: “He’s never going to […]

Gregg Popovich isn’t always a great quote. But when he does want to give the media an answer, it’s usually a pretty good one. That’s just what Pop did when discussing Kawhi Leonard’s two-way play. Here’s the glorious quote in its entirety when Pop was asked about Leonard keeping it up on both ends of […]

It came down to the wire before the San Antonio Spurs decided to trade George Hill for Kawhi Leonard on the night of the 2011 NBA Draft. Literally. Reportedly, Gregg Popovich’s love of George Hill — who the Spurs sent to the Indiana Pacers for Leonard — nearly prevented the trade from ever happening. Popovich says Spurs […]

Five years from now is a long time into the future in terms of current and upcoming talent. That’s five more drafts, five more NBA finals, and five more opportunities for roster shakeups. With all the new young talent that’s come into the league, many folks at AthletiQA are wondering, who will be the best. […]

Kawhi Leonard has worked his way into stardom, and has changed the minds of many people over a time. He’s always been lauded for having the potential to be a great player, but there are always variables in one achieving their potential in the NBA. Early success for Leonard once led Kevin Durant to say it […]

After his hot start to the season, with averages of 28.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 4.0 steals per game, San Antonio Spurs‘ superstar forward Kawhi Leonard has been very impressive and made a lot more fans recently. One of them is his new teammate, Pau Gasol. Gasol brought his talents to the Alamo this summer […]

Unlike in years past, the MVP winner for this season will be announced through the NBA Awards Show in New York City on June 26, 2017. As part of the broadcast deal with TNT, the league will acknowledge the winners through a program instead of awarding the individuals before the start of a game, usually […]

Kawhi Leonard has started this season on fire. In the San Antonio Spurs‘ first four games, the 25-year-old is averaging 28.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 4.0 steals in 31.7 minutes per game. Many have attributed his strong performance so far because of working out with Los Angeles Lakers‘ legend Kobe Bryant during the offseason. […]

With their win against the New Orleans on Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs improved their record to 3-0 to start the season. Not only were they able to keep their perfect record intact, it also set a milestone for their superstar, Kawhi Leonard. The game marked the two-time Defensive Player of the Year’s 235th win, […]

If you’re familiar with the San Antonio Spurs, you’re probably no stranger to the Texas grocery store chain H-E-B commercials which have gone viral during the past few seasons. The boys were back with another one this season, this time without their staple Tim Duncan (tears), showing off their origami skills and their knowledge of […]

With some big names coming to play on Sunday, we have picked some that stand out more than others, either due to matchups, pace of play, or early signs of consistency. High Flyers (9000+): Russell Westbrook (13,000): I would normally never own a player with what is an absolutely insane salary, but Westbrook should have […]

As the number of elite performances begin to rack up (thanks Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis) we take a look at some potential exploits for the slate of games this Saturday. High Flyers (9000+): Damian Lillard (9,100): There are several options under the price tag, but many of them come with reservations. How will Anthony Davis […]

Kawhi Leonard showed why he is the centerpiece of the post-Tim Duncan era during the San Antonio Spurs 129-100 dismantling of the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday’s season-opener. Leonard shed the shackles he’d been kept on during his first his first five seasons under coach Gregg Popovich and the Warriors were the first to see […]