Gregg Popovich recently pointed out that Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors wasn't a leader during his stint with the San Antonio Spurs. To no surprise, Leonard doesn't necessarily agree with his former coach's claims.

Per Josh Lewenberg of TSN, Leonard hinted that the Spurs may have taken him for granted.

Kawhi Leonard responded to Gregg Popovich's statement where the latter claimed that Patty Mills and Manu Ginobili were the Spurs' leaders last year. To recall, Leonard sat out the majority of last season due to an injury and rumored disagreement with the Spurs' management, specifically their medical staff.

To be fair with Popovich, he didn't fully dismiss Leonard's lack of leadership skills. He did say that it might eventually come for the 27-year-old but it simply didn't manifest during his time with the Spurs.

Leonard was being groomed to be the Spurs' franchise player after the retirement of the great Tim Duncan. However, while the current Raptors star showed promise inside the court, things didn't go as well as planned outside. Issues with the medical staff concerning a right quadriceps injury ruined a budding relationship.

As well all know, after a series of rumors and controversies, Kawhi Leonard requested for a trade and that was the end of it. The Leonard era in San Antonio was put to a grinding halt.

He's expected to return to San Antonio on January 3 in the Raptors' duel with the Spurs. It's still a long way to go and the controversy between two parties have subsided. Apart from the game itself, it would be exciting to see whether or not Leonard and Gregg Popovich will exchange greetings.