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The Toronto Raptors may have Kawhi Leonard as an opponent now, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't care about his former teammates anymore. In fact, he immediately apologized to OG Anunoby when he accidentally poked his eye during the Los Angeles Clippers' first game against them.
The Raptors convincingly won over the defending NBA champions during their first meeting. However, Kawhi accidentally poked Anunoby's eye during the game.
It was serious enough of an injury that Nick Nurse had to call a timeout so Anunoby can go to the bench.
Some Raptors fans were understandably upset with Kawhi, as Anunoby didn't play a single minute of the Raptors' solid victory over the Portland Trail Blazers the following game. However, Anunoby chastised the upset fans as he said that Kawhi apologized for the accidental eye poke.
OG Anunoby on his apology from Kawhi Leonard who poked him in the eye: "He felt bad, but it as an accident. We just talked. He just said sorry.”
— Mike Ganter (@Mike_Ganter) November 15, 2019
From the looks of the video, it doesn't seem that Kawhi meant anything by his actions. He simply wanted to get the ball and made a defensive play. There was nothing malicious with what he did, and Anunoby knows enough about Leonard during his time with him to understand how he thinks.
Moreover, the Raptors are actually doing well for themselves in spite of Kawhi's departure. Pascal Siakam has taken over his scoring load and has built upon his breakout season. Even Leonard was impressed by how his former team played.
“They got me better tonight,” Leonard admitted, per USA Today. “They did a great job on me tonight defensively and sending an extra body. I’m glad they did. It got me better and it’s going to make my teammates better as well.”
It will be interesting to see how the two will play each other on their December rematch.
