{"id":22037,"date":"2021-08-13T04:09:42","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T09:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=22037"},"modified":"2021-08-13T04:09:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T09:09:42","slug":"nba-free-agency-2021-kawhi-leonard-agrees-to-four-year-176-3-million-contract-with-clippers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=22037","title":{"rendered":"NBA free agency 2021: Kawhi Leonard agrees to four-year, $176.3 million contract with Clippers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"c-entry-hero c-entry-hero--default \">\n<div class=\"c-entry-hero__header-wrap\">\n<h1 class=\"c-page-title\">Kawhi Leonard re-signs with Clippers on a four-year contract<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"l-segment\">\n<div class=\"c-social-buttons c-social-buttons--popover main-social\" data-cid=\"site\/social_buttons_list\/popover-1628842695_8414_341614\" data-cdata=\"{&quot;entry_id&quot;:22368176,&quot;services&quot;:[&quot;twitter&quot;,&quot;facebook&quot;,&quot;reddit&quot;,&quot;pocket&quot;,&quot;flipboard&quot;,&quot;email&quot;],&quot;base_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.clipsnation.com\/2021\/8\/12\/22604135\/la-clippers-news-free-agency-kawhi-leonard-re-signs-four-year-deal&quot;}\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"l-sidebar-fixed l-segment l-article-body-segment\">\n<div class=\"l-col__main\">\n<figure class=\"e-image e-image--hero\"><span class=\"e-image__inner\"> <span class=\"e-image__image \" data-original=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg\"> <picture class=\"c-picture\" data-cid=\"site\/picture_element-1628842695_5294_341615\" data-cdata=\"{&quot;image_id&quot;:69718241,&quot;ratio&quot;:&quot;*&quot;}\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/wFoFA6FZpp_d0TXzcLtq7Xk7bqo=\/0x0:3206x2201\/320x213\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/HNmkDwKTXsOSvTVhBFzkIiYq9UE=\/0x0:3206x2201\/620x413\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/CgaWE0zY9pF_P4kcSZGFkN6EBl4=\/0x0:3206x2201\/920x613\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 920w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/_PNfZIRoAN-KsjCB0EEJ5Gv4Fqo=\/0x0:3206x2201\/1220x813\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 1220w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/C51HUjxZNRhy_kmTnxHPW__PkjA=\/0x0:3206x2201\/1520x1013\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 1520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/O-3GeI-PfbQr1sYg_o7P9eUGQ2g=\/0x0:3206x2201\/1820x1213\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 1820w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/MNVWPTZao7PdVN4IGqHmQsTfbMM=\/0x0:3206x2201\/2120x1413\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 2120w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/jrNOzXmnO0JGZkJ4iipdDRw6dOs=\/0x0:3206x2201\/2420x1613\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 2420w\" type=\"image\/webp\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/rMS-4HX7ZITVEdWQ-nq5PlMlxtw=\/0x0:3206x2201\/1200x800\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/gt4QIy1o1lX7g_KWPqIXnM4jlPo=\/0x0:3206x2201\/320x213\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/N_23ERE79fOzU-k86ol-s8b_t80=\/0x0:3206x2201\/620x413\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/HKEospDbuJR9PeZ7yDZuxA6HTRQ=\/0x0:3206x2201\/920x613\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 920w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/GwZcf26tqHuh8b_SBPrSsFul8lA=\/0x0:3206x2201\/1220x813\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 1220w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/pNqaPdmYhhKeB5AqA0EYZHuWNNI=\/0x0:3206x2201\/1520x1013\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 1520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/tifr1OOGy3V-MECVwntqKI2XN64=\/0x0:3206x2201\/1820x1213\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 1820w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/EqRbVoWE_cfMOST1Q_PQSnrsLuY=\/0x0:3206x2201\/2120x1413\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 2120w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/K_TnapSVNr5fbZt--b3Af-3rrjM=\/0x0:3206x2201\/2420x1613\/filters:focal(1205x268:1717x780)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/69718241\/1320881936.0.jpg 2420w\" alt=\"Los Angeles Clippers v Dallas Mavericks - Game Four\" data-upload-width=\"3206\" \/>\u00a0<\/picture><\/span><\/span><span class=\"e-image__meta\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/figure>\n<div class=\"c-entry-content \">\n<p id=\"89KxrG\"><strong>It\u2019s official: Kawhi Leonard wants to run it back. Leonard will be staying with the Clippers on a four-year deal, with the final year as a player option, <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/sources-kawhi-leonard-signs-4-year-deal-with-option-to-stay-with-clippers-214419102.html\">per reporting from Chris Haynes<\/a>. The maximum Leonard could sign for was $176 million over the four seasons.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"27vFzk\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><strong>BREAKING: All-NBA star Kawhi Leonard and Los Angeles Clippers have reached agreement and he has signed a new four-year contract that includes a player option, solidifying the star\u2019s future with the team, league sources tell <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YahooSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@YahooSports<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Cjq5MfX1pF\">https:\/\/t.co\/Cjq5MfX1pF<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2014 Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisBHaynes\/status\/1425936390794088453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 12, 2021<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"nrfI4l\"><strong>This move was expected by many, especially when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clipsnation.com\/2021\/7\/13\/22576409\/la-clippers-injury-news-kawhi-leonard-partially-torn-acl-surgery-recovery-timeline\">it was reported that his season-ending injury against the Utah Jazz was a partial ACL tear<\/a>. The Clippers\u2019 efforts to re-sign Leonard were not completely without incident, though. Skip Bayless suggested that <a href=\"https:\/\/nba.nbcsports.com\/2021\/06\/27\/rumor-kawhi-leonard-unhappy-with-clippers-medical-staff\/\">Leonard\u2019s camp was not happy with the Clippers\u2019 training staff<\/a> who were tasked with rehabbing his ACL tear, potentially leading to a repeat of the 2018 San Antonio Spurs. This signing helps dispel those rumors, demonstrating Leonard\u2019s confidence in the Clippers\u2019 training staff to bring the two-way star back to his playoff form.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"Cga7Bf\"><strong>To call this signing the main priority for the Clippers is an understatement. Leonard\u2019s regular-season averages brought a career-high in assists and minutes, as well as a near-career high in field-goal percentage. His playoff performance was even more remarkable, helping bring the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, winning elimination games against Dallas almost single-handedly. He offers an elite two-way versatility that is rare in today\u2019s league, being able to switch onto any player on any given defensive possession while also offering an elite scoring prowess that few can match. The pairing of Leonard with Paul George was impressive when compared to their lackluster 2020 performance, with schematic changes and better chemistry making the fit even smoother.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"zIVndV\"><strong>It\u2019s hard to view the Clippers as championship contenders without Kawhi Leonard. By signing him, however, the Clippers will remain a competitive team in the west. This will allow the team to continue building off of franchise \u201cfirsts\u201d, including acquiring the most coveted \u201cfirst\u201d: a championship.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"firstHeading\" class=\"firstHeading\"><strong>Kawhi Leonard<\/strong><\/h1>\n<div id=\"bodyContent\" class=\"vector-body\">\n<div id=\"siteSub\" class=\"noprint\">\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n r-18u37iz r-1wbh5a2\">\n<div class=\"css-901oao css-bfa6kz r-14j79pv r-18u37iz r-37j5jr r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-rjixqe r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\" dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">@kawhileonard<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mw-content-text\" class=\"mw-body-content mw-content-ltr\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\n<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\n<table class=\"infobox vcard\">\n<caption class=\"infobox-title fn summary\"><strong>Kawhi Leonard<\/strong><\/caption>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-image\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:1_kawhi_leonard_2019_(cropped).jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/e\/e6\/1_kawhi_leonard_2019_%28cropped%29.jpg\/250px-1_kawhi_leonard_2019_%28cropped%29.jpg\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/e\/e6\/1_kawhi_leonard_2019_%28cropped%29.jpg\/375px-1_kawhi_leonard_2019_%28cropped%29.jpg 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/e\/e6\/1_kawhi_leonard_2019_%28cropped%29.jpg\/500px-1_kawhi_leonard_2019_%28cropped%29.jpg 2x\" alt=\"1 kawhi leonard 2019 (cropped).jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"300\" data-file-width=\"1136\" data-file-height=\"1364\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"infobox-caption\"><strong>Leonard with the <a title=\"Toronto Raptors\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Toronto_Raptors\">Toronto Raptors<\/a> in 2019<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>No. 2 \u2013 Los Angeles Clippers<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Position<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data role\"><strong><a title=\"Small forward\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Small_forward\">Small forward<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Personal information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Born<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>June 29, 1991<span class=\"noprint ForceAgeToShow\"> (age\u00a030)<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Los Angeles, California\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles,_California\">Los Angeles, California<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Nationality<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>American<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Listed height<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>6\u00a0ft 7\u00a0in (2.01\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Listed weight<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>225\u00a0lb (102\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>High school<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data plainlist\">\n<div class=\"plainlist\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Canyon Springs High School (Moreno Valley, California)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Canyon_Springs_High_School_(Moreno_Valley,_California)\">Canyon Springs<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a title=\"Moreno Valley, California\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Moreno_Valley,_California\">Moreno Valley, California<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Martin Luther King High School (Riverside, California)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Martin_Luther_King_High_School_(Riverside,_California)\">Martin Luther King<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a title=\"Riverside, California\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Riverside,_California\">Riverside, California<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>College<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data plainlist\"><strong><a title=\"San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/San_Diego_State_Aztecs_men%27s_basketball\">San Diego State<\/a> (2009\u20132011)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_draft\">NBA draft<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"2011 NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2011_NBA_draft\">2011<\/a> \/ Round: 1 \/ Pick: 15th overall<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Selected by the <a title=\"Indiana Pacers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indiana_Pacers\">Indiana Pacers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Playing career<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>2011\u2013present<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career history<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"2011\u201312 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2011%E2%80%9312_NBA_season\">2011<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2017\u201318 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2017%E2%80%9318_NBA_season\">2018<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"San Antonio Spurs\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/San_Antonio_Spurs\">San Antonio Spurs<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"2018\u201319 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2018%E2%80%9319_NBA_season\">2018\u20132019<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"Toronto Raptors\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Toronto_Raptors\">Toronto Raptors<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"2019\u201320 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019%E2%80%9320_NBA_season\">2019<\/a>\u2013present<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"Los Angeles Clippers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles_Clippers\">Los Angeles Clippers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career highlights and awards<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA champion\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_champion\">NBA champion<\/a> (<a title=\"2014 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014_NBA_Finals\">2014<\/a>, <a title=\"2019 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019_NBA_Finals\">2019<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 <a title=\"NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Finals_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA Finals MVP<\/a> (<a title=\"2014 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014_NBA_Finals\">2014<\/a>, <a title=\"2019 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019_NBA_Finals\">2019<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>5\u00d7 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Star\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star\">NBA All-Star<\/a> (<a title=\"2016 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2016<\/a>, <a title=\"2017 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2017_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2017<\/a>, <a title=\"2019 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2019<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2021 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2021_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2021<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star_Game_Kobe_Bryant_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA All-Star Game MVP<\/a> (<a title=\"2020 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2020<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>3\u00d7 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"All-NBA First Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_First_Team\">All-NBA First Team<\/a> (<a title=\"2015\u201316 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2015%E2%80%9316_NBA_season\">2016<\/a>, <a title=\"2016\u201317 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016%E2%80%9317_NBA_season\">2017<\/a>, <a title=\"2020\u201321 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020%E2%80%9321_NBA_season\">2021<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"All-NBA Second Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Second_Team\">All-NBA Second Team<\/a> (<a title=\"2018\u201319 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2018%E2%80%9319_NBA_season\">2019<\/a>, <a title=\"2019\u201320 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019%E2%80%9320_NBA_season\">2020<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 <a title=\"NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Defensive_Player_of_the_Year_Award\">NBA Defensive Player of the Year<\/a> (<a title=\"2014\u201315 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014%E2%80%9315_NBA_season\">2015<\/a>, <a title=\"2015\u201316 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2015%E2%80%9316_NBA_season\">2016<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>3\u00d7 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Defensive First Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Defensive_First_Team\">NBA All-Defensive First Team<\/a> (<a title=\"2014\u201315 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014%E2%80%9315_NBA_season\">2015<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2016\u201317 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016%E2%80%9317_NBA_season\">2017<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>4\u00d7 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Defensive Second Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Defensive_Second_Team\">NBA All-Defensive Second Team<\/a> (<a title=\"2013\u201314 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2013%E2%80%9314_NBA_season\">2014<\/a>, <a title=\"2018\u201319 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2018%E2%80%9319_NBA_season\">2019<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2020\u201321 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020%E2%80%9321_NBA_season\">2021<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Rookie First Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Rookie_First_Team\">NBA All-Rookie First Team<\/a> (<a title=\"2011\u201312 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2011%E2%80%9312_NBA_season\">2012<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"List of National Basketball Association annual steals leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_annual_steals_leaders\">NBA steals leader<\/a> (<a title=\"2014\u201315 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014%E2%80%9315_NBA_season\">2015<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Associated Press Athlete of the Year\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Associated_Press_Athlete_of_the_Year\">AP Athlete of the Year<\/a> (2019)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Consensus second-team <a title=\"NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NCAA_Men%27s_Basketball_All-Americans\">All-American<\/a> (<a title=\"2011 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2011_NCAA_Men%27s_Basketball_All-Americans\">2011<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 First-team All-<a title=\"Mountain West Conference\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mountain_West_Conference\">MWC<\/a> (2010, 2011)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>No. 15 <a title=\"San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/San_Diego_State_Aztecs_men%27s_basketball#Retired_numbers\">retired by San Diego State Aztecs<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"California Mr. Basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/California_Mr._Basketball\">California Mr. Basketball<\/a> (2009)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/player\/202695\" rel=\"nofollow\">Stats<\/a>\u00a0<a title=\"Edit this at Wikidata\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q926248#P3647\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Edit this at Wikidata\" width=\"10\" height=\"10\" data-file-width=\"20\" data-file-height=\"20\" \/><\/a> at NBA.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leonaka01.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Stats<\/a>\u00a0<a title=\"Edit this at Wikidata\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q926248#P2685\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Edit this at Wikidata\" width=\"10\" height=\"10\" data-file-width=\"20\" data-file-height=\"20\" \/><\/a> at Basketball-Reference.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n r-18u37iz r-1wbh5a2\">\n<div class=\"css-901oao css-bfa6kz r-14j79pv r-18u37iz r-37j5jr r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-rjixqe r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\" dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">@kawhileonard<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12241\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/kawhi-leonard-051514-ap-ftrjpg_1ftmofnrvgidl1kq3jifyhb14e-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/kawhi-leonard-051514-ap-ftrjpg_1ftmofnrvgidl1kq3jifyhb14e-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/kawhi-leonard-051514-ap-ftrjpg_1ftmofnrvgidl1kq3jifyhb14e-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/kawhi-leonard-051514-ap-ftrjpg_1ftmofnrvgidl1kq3jifyhb14e-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/kawhi-leonard-051514-ap-ftrjpg_1ftmofnrvgidl1kq3jifyhb14e.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Kawhi Anthony Leonard (<span class=\"rt-commentedText nowrap\"><span class=\"IPA nopopups noexcerpt\"><a title=\"Help:IPA\/English\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:IPA\/English\">\/<span title=\"'k' in 'kind'\">k<\/span><span title=\"\/\u0259\/: 'a' in 'about'\">\u0259<\/span><span title=\"\/\u02c8\/: primary stress follows\">\u02c8<\/span><span title=\"'w' in 'wind'\">w<\/span><span title=\"\/a\u026a\/: 'i' in 'tide'\">a\u026a<\/span>\/<\/a><\/span><\/span>, born June 29, 1991) is an American professional <a title=\"Basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball\">basketball<\/a> player for the <a title=\"Los Angeles Clippers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles_Clippers\">Los Angeles Clippers<\/a> of the <a title=\"National Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_Association\">National Basketball Association<\/a> (NBA). He played two seasons of <a title=\"College basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/College_basketball\">college basketball<\/a> for the <a title=\"San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/San_Diego_State_Aztecs_men%27s_basketball\">San Diego State Aztecs<\/a> and was named a consensus second-team <a title=\"NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NCAA_Men%27s_Basketball_All-Americans\">All-American<\/a> as a sophomore. Leonard opted to forgo his final two seasons at <a title=\"San Diego State University\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/San_Diego_State_University\">San Diego State<\/a> to enter the <a title=\"2011 NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2011_NBA_draft\">2011 NBA draft<\/a>. He was selected by the <a title=\"Indiana Pacers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indiana_Pacers\">Indiana Pacers<\/a> with the 15th overall pick before being traded to the <a title=\"San Antonio Spurs\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/San_Antonio_Spurs\">San Antonio Spurs<\/a> on draft night.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>With the Spurs, Leonard won an <a title=\"List of NBA champions\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_NBA_champions\">NBA championship<\/a> in <a title=\"2014 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014_NBA_Finals\">2014<\/a>, where he was named the <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bill_Russell_NBA_Finals_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">Finals Most Valuable Player<\/a>. After seven seasons with the Spurs, Leonard was traded to the <a title=\"Toronto Raptors\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Toronto_Raptors\">Toronto Raptors<\/a> in 2018. In <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"2019 NBA Playoffs\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019_NBA_Playoffs\">2019<\/a>, he led the Raptors to their first NBA championship in franchise history and won his second Finals MVP award (one of only three players to win Finals MVP with multiple teams, along with <a title=\"Kareem Abdul-Jabbar\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kareem_Abdul-Jabbar\">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar<\/a> and <a title=\"LeBron James\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/LeBron_James\">LeBron James<\/a>). He subsequently moved to his hometown of <a title=\"Los Angeles\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles\">Los Angeles<\/a> and signed with the Clippers as a free agent in July 2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Leonard is a five-time <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Star\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star\">All-Star<\/a> with three <a title=\"All-NBA Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Team\">All-NBA<\/a> First Team selections. Nicknamed the &#8220;Claw&#8221;, or &#8220;Klaw&#8221;, for his <a class=\"extiw\" title=\"wikt:ball-hawking\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/ball-hawking\">ball-hawking<\/a> skills, he has earned seven <a title=\"NBA All-Defensive Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Defensive_Team\">All-Defensive Team<\/a> selections and won <a title=\"NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Defensive_Player_of_the_Year_Award\">Defensive Player of the Year<\/a> honors in <a title=\"2014\u201315 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014%E2%80%9315_NBA_season#Yearly_Awards\">2015<\/a> and <a title=\"2015\u201316 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2015%E2%80%9316_NBA_season#Yearly_Awards\">2016<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span id=\"Awards_and_honors\" class=\"mw-headline\">Awards and honors<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<dl>\n<dt><strong>NBA<\/strong><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>2-time <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA champion\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_champion\">NBA champion<\/a>: <a title=\"2014 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014_NBA_Finals\">2014<\/a>, <a title=\"2019 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019_NBA_Finals\">2019<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2-time <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bill_Russell_NBA_Finals_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA Finals MVP<\/a>: <a title=\"2014 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014_NBA_Finals\">2014<\/a>, <a title=\"2019 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019_NBA_Finals\">2019<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>5-time <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Star\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star\">NBA All-Star<\/a>: <a title=\"2016 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2016<\/a>, <a title=\"2017 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2017_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2017<\/a>, <a title=\"2019 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2019<\/a>, <a title=\"2020 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2020<\/a>, <a title=\"2021 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2021_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2021<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1-time <a title=\"NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star_Game_Kobe_Bryant_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA All-Star MVP<\/a>: <a title=\"2020 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2020<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>5-time All-NBA:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"All-NBA First Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_First_Team\">All-NBA First Team<\/a>: <a title=\"2015\u201316 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2015%E2%80%9316_NBA_season\">2016<\/a>, <a title=\"2016\u201317 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016%E2%80%9317_NBA_season\">2017<\/a>, <a title=\"2020\u201321 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020%E2%80%9321_NBA_season\">2021<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"All-NBA Second Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Second_Team\">All-NBA Second Team<\/a>: <a title=\"2018\u201319 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2018%E2%80%9319_NBA_season\">2019<\/a>, <a title=\"2019\u201320 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019%E2%80%9320_NBA_season\">2020<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><span class=\"nowrap\">2-time <a title=\"NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Defensive_Player_of_the_Year_Award\">NBA Defensive Player of the Year<\/a>: <a title=\"2014\u201315 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014%E2%80%9315_NBA_season\">2015<\/a>, <a title=\"2015\u201316 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2015%E2%80%9316_NBA_season\">2016<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>7-time All-Defensive Selection:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Defensive First Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Defensive_First_Team\">NBA All-Defensive First Team<\/a>: <a title=\"2014\u201315 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014%E2%80%9315_NBA_season\">2015<\/a>, <a title=\"2015\u201316 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2015%E2%80%9316_NBA_season\">2016<\/a>, <a title=\"2016\u201317 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016%E2%80%9317_NBA_season\">2017<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Defensive_Second_Team\">NBA All-Defensive Second Team<\/a>: <a title=\"2013\u201314 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2013%E2%80%9314_NBA_season\">2014<\/a>, <a title=\"2018\u201319 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2018%E2%80%9319_NBA_season\">2019<\/a>, <a title=\"2019\u201320 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019%E2%80%9320_NBA_season\">2020<\/a>, <a title=\"2020\u201321 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020%E2%80%9321_NBA_season\">2021<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Rookie First Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Rookie_First_Team\">NBA All-Rookie First Team<\/a>: <a title=\"2011\u201312 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2011%E2%80%9312_NBA_season\">2012<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"List of National Basketball Association annual steals leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_annual_steals_leaders\">NBA steals leader<\/a>: <a title=\"NBA All-Defensive Second Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2014%E2%80%9315_NBA_season\">2015<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<dl>\n<dt><strong>College<\/strong><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Consensus second team <a title=\"NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NCAA_Men%27s_Basketball_All-Americans\">All-American<\/a> (<a title=\"2011 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2011_NCAA_Men%27s_Basketball_All-Americans\">2011<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"National Association of Basketball Coaches\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Association_of_Basketball_Coaches\">NABC<\/a> <a title=\"NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NCAA_Men%27s_Basketball_All-Americans\">All-American<\/a> Third Team (<a title=\"2011 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2011_NCAA_Men%27s_Basketball_All-Americans\">2011<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 First-team All-<a title=\"Mountain West Conference\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mountain_West_Conference\">Mountain West<\/a> (<a title=\"2009\u201310 NCAA Division I men's basketball season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2009%E2%80%9310_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_season\">2010<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2010\u201311 NCAA Division I men's basketball season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2010%E2%80%9311_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_season\">2011<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 All-<a title=\"Mountain West Conference\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mountain_West_Conference\">Mountain West<\/a> All-Tournament Team (<a title=\"2009\u201310 NCAA Division I men's basketball season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2009%E2%80%9310_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_season\">2010<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2010\u201311 NCAA Division I men's basketball season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2010%E2%80%9311_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_season\">2011<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>All-<a title=\"Mountain West Conference\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mountain_West_Conference\">Mountain West<\/a> Defensive Team (<a title=\"2010\u201311 NCAA Division I men's basketball season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2010%E2%80%9311_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_season\">2011<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mountain_West_Conference_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament\">Mountain West Tournament<\/a> MVP (<a title=\"2010 Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2010_Mountain_West_Conference_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament\">2010<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Mountain West Conference\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mountain_West_Conference\">Mountain West<\/a> Freshman of the Year (<a title=\"2009\u201310 NCAA Division I men's basketball season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2009%E2%80%9310_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_season\">2010<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<dl>\n<dt><strong>High school<\/strong><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/California_Mr._Basketball\">California Mr. Basketball<\/a> (2009)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Martin Luther King Hall of Fame (class of 2018)<sup id=\"cite_ref-137\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong><span id=\"Personal_life\" class=\"mw-headline\">Personal life<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_12236\" style=\"width: 209px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12236\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12236\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/kawhi-leonard-1402926516-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/kawhi-leonard-1402926516-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/kawhi-leonard-1402926516.jpg 395w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-12236\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SAN ANTONIO, TX &#8211; JUNE 15: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs poses for a portrait with the Larry O&#8217;Brien and Bill Russell MVP Trophy after defeating the Miami Heat in Game Five of the 2014 NBA Finals on June 15, 2014 at AT&amp;T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Leonard is the son of Mark Leonard and Kim Robertson. He is the youngest child of the family and has four sisters.<sup id=\"cite_ref-138\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> His father was shot and killed on January 18, 2008, at the <a title=\"Compton, California\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Compton,_California\">Compton<\/a> car wash he owned. Leonard insisted on playing the next evening and broke down emotionally after the game.\u00a0 As of 2021, the murderer had still not been found. Leonard is the cousin of American football wide receiver <a title=\"Stevie Johnson\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stevie_Johnson\">Stevie Johnson<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Leonard and his girlfriend have two children.<sup id=\"cite_ref-144\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In 2018, Leonard reportedly signed a multi-year endorsement deal with <a title=\"New Balance\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Balance\">New Balance<\/a>, the multinational sports footwear and apparel corporation. He had previously signed with <a title=\"Air Jordan\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Air_Jordan\">Air Jordan<\/a> brand, a subsidiary of <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Nike, Inc\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nike,_Inc\">Nike<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-147\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> In June 2019, Leonard filed a federal lawsuit against Nike. According to the lawsuit, Nike copyrighted Leonard&#8217;s &#8220;Klaw&#8221; logo without his consent.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In January 2020, after the death of <a title=\"Kobe Bryant\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kobe_Bryant\">Kobe Bryant<\/a> in a <a title=\"2020 Calabasas helicopter crash\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020_Calabasas_helicopter_crash\">helicopter crash<\/a>, Leonard revealed that he and Bryant shared the same pilot, Ara Zobayan, who also perished in the crash along with Bryant and seven others.<sup id=\"cite_ref-149\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Leonard is known for his quiet and private demeanor. He rarely gives interviews and avoids questions about his private life.<sup id=\"cite_ref-150\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> Leonard has also said that he does not actively consume <a title=\"News media\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/News_media\">news media<\/a> or use <a title=\"Social media\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Social_media\">social media<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In 2021, Leonard starred in a new <a title=\"Hyundai Motor Company\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hyundai_Motor_Company\">Hyundai Motor Company<\/a> TV commercial advert to promote the <a title=\"Hyundai Tucson\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hyundai_Tucson\">Hyundai Tucson<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-154\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>On May 3, 2021, Leonard took to <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Instagram Live\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Instagram_Live\">Instagram Live<\/a> for the first time ever, chatting with high school basketball player <a title=\"Mikey Williams\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mikey_Williams\">Mikey Williams<\/a> and announced that he will release a hip hop album titled <i>Culture Jam<\/i> sometime in 2021. Leonard described the project as &#8220;merging hip-hop and basketball together&#8221;. He also shared a snippet of a track titled &#8220;Everything Different&#8221; featuring\u00a0<a title=\"YoungBoy Never Broke Again\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/YoungBoy_Never_Broke_Again\">YoungBoy Never Broke Again<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a title=\"Rod Wave\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rod_Wave\">Rod Wave<\/a>. The album will benefit a charitable organization created in memory of Kobe and Gigi Bryant.<sup id=\"cite_ref-155\" class=\"reference\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kawhi_Leonard#cite_note-155\">[155]<\/a><\/sup> On July 23, 2021, he released the songs &#8220;Waves&#8221; and &#8220;Everything Different&#8221;.<sup id=\"cite_ref-156\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><span id=\"References\" class=\"mw-headline\"><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"connatix-article\" data-concert-ads-name=\"connatix-article\">\n<div id=\"connatix-article\" class=\"\"><strong>XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>\n<header class=\"caas-header\">\n<header class=\"caas-title-wrapper\">\n<h1 data-test-locator=\"headline\"><strong>Clippers&#8217; Kawhi Leonard signs new 4-year deal including player option<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"xray-popup-content wafer-scrollview wafer-loader-success\" data-wf-behavior=\"native\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"wafer-tooltip fp-tooltip-override has-tooltip-click has-wafer-click wafer-tooltip-done wafer-loader-success\" data-wf-display-delay=\"1000\" data-wf-local-storage-key=\"xray-tooltip\" data-wf-max-display-count=\"9999\" data-wf-reset-every=\"9999\" data-wf-template-id=\"xray-tooltip-template\" data-wf-tooltip-discovered-count=\"1\" data-wf-tooltip-text=\"Explore the topics mentioned in this article\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20649\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/KAWHII.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"271\" height=\"186\" \/><\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"caas-body\">\n<p><strong><a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/nba\/players\/4896\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kawhi Leonard\" data-rapid_p=\"29\" data-v9y=\"1\">Kawhi Leonard<\/a> signed a new four-year contract with the <a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/nba\/teams\/la-clippers\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Los Angeles Clippers\" data-rapid_p=\"30\" data-v9y=\"1\">Los Angeles Clippers<\/a> on Thursday, including a player option, solidifying the star\u2019s future with the team, league sources told Yahoo Sports.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The deal is worth $176.3 million.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp yahoo-link\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/sources-kawhi-leonard-re-signs-with-clippers-193041273.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:The five-time All-Star forward decided to return;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-rapid_p=\"32\" data-v9y=\"1\">The five-time All-Star forward decided to return<\/a> to his hometown team last week. Over two seasons in Los Angeles, Leonard averaged 26 points, 6.8 rebounds and five assists per game.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Last season, the two-time NBA Finals MVP averaged 24.8 points per game (on 51\/40\/89 shooting splits) over 34.1 minutes per game before suffering an ACL injury in the Western Conference semifinals. Without Leonard, the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference finals where they lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In the offseason, Leonard had <a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp yahoo-link\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/clippers-confirm-partial-acl-tear-for-kawhi-leonard-who-had-surgery-on-tuesday-004228858.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:surgery on his partially torn right ACL;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-rapid_p=\"33\" data-v9y=\"1\">surgery on his partially torn right ACL<\/a>. There is no timetable for his return, and he is expected to miss a substantial portion of the 2021-22 season.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>When Leonard declined his $36 million option to enter free agency, it was expected that he would remain with the Clippers paired with Paul George. George joined Leonard in LA two summers ago and signed a maximum contract extension before the 2020-21 season.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview caas-loaded\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/8qtexctdAEBV5yfKP3OwOw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTczOS40OTU3OTgzMTkzMjc3O2NmPXdlYnA-\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2020-12\/3883f2f0-408d-11eb-aa7f-de9711f7dfde\" alt=\"Kawhi Leonard signed a new four-year deal to stay in Los Angeles. (Photo by Harry How\/Getty Images)\" \/><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"article0\" class=\"data-reading-list-item\" data-reading-list-item=\"0\">\n<article>\n<div class=\"Article-head\">\n<h1><strong>xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h1 class=\"Article-headline\"><strong>NBA free agency 2021: Kawhi Leonard agrees to four-year, $176.3 million contract with Clippers<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Article-content\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-8\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-8\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-7\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-7\">\n<div id=\"Article-body\" class=\"article article-main-body Article-body\">\n<div class=\"Article-featuredImage\">\n<figure class=\" img\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"Article-featuredImageImg \" src=\"https:\/\/sportshub.cbsistatic.com\/i\/r\/2021\/06\/09\/caf4995d-c507-45d1-be47-6a83475a0126\/thumbnail\/770x433\/79af0bd87da01f657e5541cb2b65fdf5\/untitled-design-51.png\" alt=\"untitled-design-51.png\" width=\"770\" height=\"433\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/sportshub.cbsistatic.com\/i\/r\/2021\/06\/09\/caf4995d-c507-45d1-be47-6a83475a0126\/thumbnail\/770x433\/79af0bd87da01f657e5541cb2b65fdf5\/untitled-design-51.png\" \/><\/strong><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Article-bodyContent\" data-use-autolinker=\"true\">\n<p><strong>The Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard have come to an agreement on a new four-year contract to keep the All-Star forward in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. Leonard&#8217;s contract includes a player option for the final season of the deal and will pay the forward a total of $176.3 million.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Kawhi is a transcendent player and a relentless worker who improves himself every day,&#8221; Lawrence Frank, the team&#8217;s president of basketball operations, said in a statement. &#8220;We share many of the same goals, which include a long-term relationship.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>While there was never any serious concern about Leonard bolting to another team, before free agency started it was reported that he was going to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBATV\/status\/1422036430138662920?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;listen to other teams&#8221;<\/a> before making a decision on where he would play next season. There hadn&#8217;t been much news out there about which teams he was going to entertain, but now he is officially staying in L.A. and trying to win a championship for the Clippers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Although Leonard will be returning to L.A., he&#8217;s expected to miss a significant portion of the 2021-22 season after having surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in July. He sustained the injury during the Clippers&#8217; playoff run, but L.A. didn&#8217;t announce that he tore his ACL until the team was bounced in the Western Conference Finals by the Suns. There&#8217;s currently no timetable for his return next season.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>When Leonard<em> was<\/em> healthy, he put up another stellar performance in the playoffs, averaging 30.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He was unable to play in the Clippers&#8217; last two games of their semifinal series against the Utah Jazz and remained sidelined for the entirety of L.A.&#8217;s series against the Suns. Although the Clippers managed to get by the Jazz without Leonard, it was evident that the team severely needed his talents on both ends of the floor against a Suns team that employed a potent offensive attack. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Securing Leonard to a new contract ensures that the Clippers will be title contenders when he becomes fully healthy again, which might not be until the 2022-23 season.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fixate-sharebar-bottom-anchor relative\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fixate-mpu-top-bottom-anchor relative\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fixate-follow-us-bottom-anchor relative\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article1\" class=\"data-reading-list-item\" data-reading-list-item=\"1\" data-url=\"\/nba\/news\/lakers-counting-on-mvp-level-season-from-anthony-davis-who-was-central-to-everything-they-did-this-offseason\/\">\n<article>\n<div class=\"Article-head\">\n<h1 class=\"Article-headline\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption-wrapper caption-aligned-with-image\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrapper caption-aligned-with-image\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\" data-id=\"m-0\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kawhi Leonard re-signs with Clippers on a four-year contract \u00a0 It\u2019s official: Kawhi Leonard wants to run it back. Leonard will be staying with the Clippers on a four-year deal, with the final year as a player option, per reporting from Chris Haynes. The maximum Leonard could sign for was $176 million over the four [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2405,330,11,8,1314,2432,1456,1156,13,2404,2406,14,106,104,187,1,1282,12,7,9,10],"tags":[3100,4654,4181,3104,4653],"class_list":["post-22037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-basketball-sports","category-business","category-entertainment","category-global-business-entrepreneurs","category-global-gamers","category-global-news-updates-and-more","category-global-sports","category-health","category-high-school-sports","category-mbs-hss","category-most-commented","category-nba-sports-news","category-ncaa","category-ncaa-basketball","category-news","category-olympics","category-scitech","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-kawhileonard","tag-1991-age-30-los-angeles","tag-california-nationality-american-listed-height-6-ft-7-in-2-01-m-listed-weight-225-lb-102-kg-career-information-high-school-canyon-springs-moreno-valley","tag-california-martin-luther-king-riverside","tag-kawhi-leonard1-kawhi-leonard-2019-cropped-jpg-leonard-with-the-toronto-raptors-in-2019-no-2-los-angeles-clippers-position-small-forward-personal-information-born-june-29","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}