How A Shy Role Player Became An NBA Legend

Kawhi Leonard wasn't always so shy and quiet, he was once full of love and laughter until one night a murder changed him. Here is the story of Kawhi Leonard and how he transformed from a

role

player

to an NBA superstar. Kawhi Leonard grew up the youngest of five children and only five years ago his parents divorced, but although Kawhi's mother took custody, it was his father who played a decisive

role

in Kauai's sports career. . Mark Leonard was a former football

player

and pushed Kawhi into the Gridiron with a great athletic frame and long arms. and huge hands Kawhi was a talented defensive back and wide receiver, but Kawhi quit football when he was a sophomore in high school to concentrate fully on basketball.

At first, his father was angry because basketball wasn't a safe bet. Kawhi wasn't a prodigy like LeBron James, but Kawhi loved basketball more than anything and that's when his work ethic was on full display. He stayed late after each practice, sometimes shooting and dribbling up to four hours after everyone left the gym. Then, during Kawaii's Junior season, one night would change his life forever. While Kawhi was preparing to play in a high school tournament, his father was finishing his day at the family-owned Car Wash, where Kawhi worked every summer, and Leonard Sr. was more than excited to close the store and go watch the game. to his son.

It was a good day until a stranger entered the car wash approached Kawhi's father and pointed a gun at him just as Kawhi was approaching his school gym, he received a phone call, his father was dead just 24 hours later, his high school MLK had another game and Against All Odds. Kawaii appeared and played emotionally distraught. Kawhi still finished with 17 points, but as soon as he finished the game he burst into tears in his mother's arms, while some people used such a tragedy as an excuse to stop playing. Kawhi used it as fuel. His demeanor changed and he remained quiet after his father's death, he led his game, he did all his talking his senior year, he led his team to a 30-3 record with 23 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in average, he was later named Mr.

Basketball of California, however. Despite the obvious improvement in his game, Leonard was still not a nationally recognized name and was ranked as the 48th best high school player in the country. The colleges that tried to contact him were also not very enthusiastic about him, as he was notoriously quiet and did not answer his phone for weeks, however, he received an offer from UCLA, but Kawhi ultimately chose San Diego State because they guaranteed him a starting job as First year student. Kauai averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Aztecs to a conference title and bid for In the NCAA Tournament, Leonard wanted to put his name in the NBA draft immediately after his freshman year, but his coaches They advised him not to do it even though he was an excellent rebounder and defender Kawhi couldn't shoot.

He shot just 20 percent from three even though Opponents often left him wide open knowing he can't hit the ocean from a boat, so Kawhi listened and decided to stay for his second season. He averaged 16 points on 10.5 rebounds with a not-great-but-not-terrible accuracy of 30 from San Diego State's three-pointers. Kawhi was named a second-team All-American and put his name in the 2011 NBA draft pick during the NBA Draft Combine. All the Scouts praised his physical attributes. Six-foot-seven, 225 pounds with a seven-foot-three-inch pterodactyl wingspan and massive 11-inch hands, some of the biggest claws in combine history, everyone was drooling over his defensive potential, but no one thought he'd ever he would become the polished defensive player that Kawhi was. a classic tweener who isn't big enough to do damage in the post and isn't technically good enough to create from outside with an unreliable shot.

Kawhi fell as low as 15th when he was finally drafted by the Indiana Pacers, however, just moments after being drafted. There was another surprise for Kawaii, he was immediately traded to San Antonio for George Hill, a third-year point guard in Greg Popovich's favorite player. Popovich later said that this trade was the hardest decision he made because he knew he needed to get a great defender. After the draft, but not sure Kawhi's offense was going to work, they decided to roll the dice and learn to join the Spurs, where he would fit right in because of his work ethic and no-nonsense approach to basketball as a rookie. .

Kawaii quickly began playing decisive minutes, something that is not something Popovich usually does with rookies, but Leonard's suffocating defense soon guaranteed him the starting job and he even surprised with his shots, surely he wasn't doing much with the ball in his hands , but it was very effective. As a shooter, he shot 38 percent from three, but Kawhi only took six shots per game, averaged 8.5 rebounds and one assist and finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. Greg Popovich had this to say about Kauai after his rookie season. I think he's going to be a star on both ends of the court, he's a really special player and what makes me have so much confidence in him is that he wants so badly to be a great player and it didn't take long for the world to see what which was the pop coach.

Speaking of Kawhi, he improved his averages across the board in his second season by taking smart, efficient shots and hitting 38 deep shots on three attempts per game, but what's most impressive is how he increased his level of play in the playoffs, which is extremely rare. for a player like that. The younger Lerner was the Spurs' best defender as their third-best overall player behind Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. San Antonio lost only two games on its way to the finals, where the best player in the world, LeBron James and his Miami Heat Hawaii, awaited them. He protected LeBron better than anyone in the NBA at the time and was the only person who could stop him when the Spur first went because LeBron was shooting below 50 percent largely thanks to Kawhi's long, disruptive hands, however , the heat made adjustments and James began.

Launching outside shots in the crucial game six, when the Spurs were up three games to two, James orchestrated a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback, yet the Spurs held a five-point lead in the final minute and looked very much like they would win. title until one of the biggest shots in NBA history occurred and changed the narrative in overtime the Heat prevailed and took the series to game seven which was again decided in the final minutes despite Kawhi giving him removed driving. Lanes LeBron knew that he needs to make a jump shot to win and he did it. James finished with 37 points demonstrating his status as the best in the world and Miami stole the championship from the Spurs.

Kawhi averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds and two steals in the finals and put The world noticed, he arrived on the big scene, but Kawhi, being Kauai, did not rest on his laurels. Leonard worked very hard in the off-season further improving his shot and gaining muscle for the 2014 season, his efficiency increased, but his numbers remained the same. Same thing, though, that's mostly because the Spurs played extremely team-oriented basketball, with their best scoring average being just 16 points and no one on the team playing more than 30 minutes per game. San Antonio finished with the best record in the NBA and Kawhi won the nine for the second all-defensive team, the Spurs proved to be the best in the west, securing another final with Miami after the first two games, the series was tied at one each one and it seemed like we were biting our nails, but Kawhi had other plans. he dominated in game three with a game-high 29 points and stellar defense against King James even though LeBron made a ton of tough shots and actually had an extremely effective series.

Kawhi bothered him on every possession and didn't let him breathe. LeBron had no space. Dribbling to Leonard made it difficult for him to even catch the ball and limited his touches. James had to work like hell on every basket he made and LeBron knew his best opportunity was when Leonard was out of the game and that's where James was most aggressive. When Kawaii replaced him we could see visible frustration in the cape because he knew that his points were going to be much harder to get. The third game turned out to be a blowout and it was still the fourth and fifth game.

Miami had no answer against the phenomenal Spurs. ball movement and many people believe the 2014 Spurs played the most beautiful basketball of all time even though Tony Parker scored one more point than Kawhi in the series. Leonard was named Finals MVP due to his impeccable defense and astronomical shooting percentages. Kauai averaged 18 points on 61 from the field and 58 from three and was the second-youngest Finals MVP in NBA history behind Magic Johnson during the Finals due to his gigantic hands and the way they wreaked havoc on Miami players. Kawhi was nicknamed The Claw after the title, the Spurs quietly but noticeably. gave the keys to the team to Kawaii in 2015 Leonard led the Spurs in minutes of field goal attempts and points per game however his office wasn't something people talked about because Kawhi was still making headlines with this defense Leonard led the league in steals with 2.3 per game and in some of them he looked like he was taking candy from a baby.

San Antonio had the second best defense in the NBA and Kauai deservedly won the defensive play of the year award, however, the Spurs lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Clippers, mainly due to poor performances by Parker and Ginobili, Kauai did his part averaging 20 points with excellent shooting numbers again improving all of his stats in the playoffs, then 2016 came along and brought Kawhi Leonard's complete transformation from just the defensive stopper to a complete player. A ruined superstar, he was no longer just a cutter and spot-up shooter. Kawhi's toolbox now included post-ups, jumpers, fadeaways and attacking the mismatch in the paint, he broke the myth that he couldn't create his own shot and Popovich finally started using it.

Leonard averaged over 20 points per game for the first time on pick and rolls due to his improved handling. He made his first All-Star team and repeated as defensive player of the year. However, he also came in second for the MVP award behind Steph Curry. the playoffs offered another disappointment and the second round exit against OKC will be remembered primarily for Tim Duncan's final NBA games in 2017. Leonard improved again as he did in every season up to that point without Tim Duncan and with aging of Parker and Ginobili Kauai. Now the clear leader of the team, he averaged 25, 0.5 points and 3.5 assists, the highest of his career, with two triples per game and, despite his greater step on offense, his defense did not suffer and entered in his third consecutive first team with the entire defense led by Leonard. the Spurs to the Conference finals against the Warriors, who were the big favorites, but when the first game began it was not Kevin Durant's Steph Curry or Klay Thompson who pulled all the strings and dominated, it was Kawhi San Antonio who had an advantage 20 points at halftime and the clutch was unstoppable scoring 26 points in 24 minutes on the court and then the Spurs got a taste of their own medicine and Bad Karma changed their franchise forever.

In the early 2000s, small forward Bruce Bowen was getting his feet in the player landing zone. causing several players to injure their ankles a decade later, his star forward was injured the same way when Zaza Pachulia planted his feet under Kauai as he rose for a jump shot. Leonard couldn't continue and without him the Spurs lost their 21-point lead. He didn't play for the rest of the series and each of the next three games was a blowout, that's how helpless San Antonio was without him. Kawhi was only 26 years old and just entering the prime of his career in San Antonio.

They were counting on him to be their leader for the next 10 years, but to the world's surprise this scenario turned out to be the furthest thing from the truth because when the 2017 season began, Kauai missed the first 27 games with a quadriceps injury, then He played nine games but continued to feel pain. The problem was that the Spurs doctor cleared him to play, almost accusing him of lying about being injured and when you make those accusations to a player who is all business and no nonsense, that's where you piss him off and test him. his loyalty that Kawhi wanted a second opinion and found his own doctors he stopped communicating with the team and no one knew what he was thinking about the season ended and Leonard was still silent it was obvious that the impossible was now becoming inevitable and that Kawhi was going to be traded on July 18, 2018 Leonard and Danny Greene were traded to the Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan and yakaporo his arrival in Toronto stole all the headlines as did the press conferenceintroduction when the season began it was clear that Kawhi was arguably the best player in the NBA and his maturity as a New Heights player averaged a career-high 26.6 points and 7.3 rebounds with excellent shooting efficiency, but his progress can't be explained with numbers, what's fascinating about him is how easy he made it look and how defenses couldn't do anything. to keep him from scoring, whatever, Kawhi was scoring in every way possible and he did it so nonchalantly that it looked like he was taking practice shots.

He also

became

a clear leader of the team and for the first time accepted the role and

became

much louder on the court and during team meetings, if he wasn't handling the load he could have won the MVP that year but so was Kawhi, he never cared about individual awards, all he wanted was to win in the postseason and he even admitted that he thinks the regular season is just a warm-up, but when the playoffs began it was clear that Kawhi was more than warmed up. He opened the first round with an average of 28 points, 55 shots and 54 three-pointers in the second round against Philadelphia. averaged 38 points and 62 shots in the first four games, however, the 76ers were stacked and the series went to game 7.

It was an extremely tight game with constant changes and Jimmy Butler tied the score with four seconds left, the Raptors had one last shot to win the game and the series, when Kawhi received the ball he dribbled to the right. guarded closely by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons Hawaii stood up and shot and when the buzzer rang the ball was still bouncing off the rim but after four bounces it finally fell into the hook. Kawhi let out a big scream and his teammates hugged him and that was it. the first game in the seventh game in NBA history in the Conference Finals against the league's MVP, Giannis Antetokupo and the Bucks.

Things looked bleak for Toronto as they lost the first two games, but then Kawaii started defending Giannis and they turned the series around. Toronto won the next four. games and reached the finals with Leonard averaging 30 points in the series; However, despite the brilliance of Hawaii, the Raptors were still not favorites in the final against the Warriors, who were aiming for a third title, but in part thanks to KD's injury, probably to coach Kawhi's nurse and the rest of the Raptors who fought like lions Toronto won the series in six games and took the first NBA title to Canada despite the appearance of siakum the resurrection of Fred Van Vleet instead equality of Kyle Lowry Toronto won the title thanks Kawhi Leonard was the final MVP with 28.5 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals on average and he averaged more than 30 points throughout the playoffs after the title Kawhi was a free agent and disappeared again, no one knew where he was or where he was going to sign and blurted out -He single-handedly stopped all free agency and finally opted to return to California and sign with the Clippers in Los Angeles.

He showed once again that when healthy he is one of the best two-way players to ever play, but the problem is that he is having more and more injury problems and misses the entire 2022 season due to an ACL injury. crossed. If he leads the Clippers to the promised land and wins a title with his third team, he will have to be considered one of the 20 greatest players in history, but even if Kawhi doesn't care? He has already proven his worth as a champion and one of the hardest workers in the NBA. Kawhi is one of the few players who started his career as a pure role player and emerged as a superstar and a two-man. -Finals MVP, what is perhaps most impressive is the way he improved his play in the playoffs, always scoring more and shooting more efficiently compared to the regular season.

Scouts labeled him a poor shooter when he first came to the NBA and he's shooting over the top. 50 percent from the field and 40 from three in his playoff career. Kauai is actually the third most efficient player in playoff history, while also playing some of the best defense the NBA has ever seen.