Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri believes that a ‘plenty part' of Kawhi Leonard wanted to stay in Toronto.

Ujiri laid out the key factors that might have attracted Leonard to stay with the Raptors. Apart from winning, the medical staff and the fans played a key role.

Per Michael Hoad of Yahoo Sports:

“There was plenty part of him that wanted to stay,” Ujiri said in an interview with CBC. “Winning, the city, medical, there are so many things I could tell…

“He won in the city, had one of the greatest shots in NBA history, the fans, an unbelievable parade. I know Kawhi, I know he really thought about all those things.”

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Ujiri added that he completely understood Leonard's decision to head to the Los Angeles Clippers. After all, he is a Southern Californian and it's every player's dream to represent the town where they were born and raised in.

“If he wants to go home, he’s gone home,” Ujiri added. “If there was a team in Lagos, Nigeria or Zaria, Nigeria, if there was an NBA team there I don’t know if I would stay in Toronto. There are some callings in life and some things that pull people one way or the other and I completely understand that.”

The Leonard era in Toronto lasted just one year — yet it resulted in an NBA title. As such, it will forever be etched in history as one of the greatest basketball stories.