Kawhi Leonard

At 33 years old, Kawhi Leonard has this physical status:

High school career

Leonard attended Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, California, before moving to Martin Luther King High School for his junior year. In his senior year, he and Tony Snell led the King High Wolves to a 30–3 record. Leonard played 22.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3 blocks per game last year, as well as being named California Mr. Basketball.

Leonard, who was ranked No. 2 in the recruiting rankings of 2009 as the No. 1 in a four-star recruit by Rivals.com. The No. 8 is the No. 1 in the world of small forwards and No. Around the world, there are 48 players.

College career

Leonard scored 12.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game for the Aztecs as a freshman at San Diego State University in 2009-2010. He was instrumental in the team's 25-9 record and led them to victory of the Mountain West Conference (MWC) tournament title. The Aztecs were then guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament, but they would fail in the first round to Tennessee, 659-60, with Leonard leading 12 points and 10 rebounds. He led the MWC in recovery and was named MWC Freshman of the Year, First Team All-MWC, and the 2010 MWC tournament MVP.

Leonard, who played for 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest in his sophomore season, finished with a 34-3 record and captured back-to-back conference tournament championships. Leonard, Leonard, San Diego State, has once more made the NCAA tournament. This year, the Aztecs advanced to the Sweet 16, but they lost to Connecticut, the eventual national champions. Leonard was selected to the Second Team All-America and left San Diego State in 2011 to enter the NBA draft.

Leonard's number 15, the first Aztecs men's basketball player, was recalled to the rafters on February 1, 2020. After Michael Cage (44) and Milton "Milky" Phelps (22) retired, it was the third highest number retirement in program history.

Professional career

According to Sports Illustrated, NBA scouts were aware that Leonard had a strong work ethic and was a "physical wonder" with a 7'3" wingspan and 11-inch hands, "too strong to show and too long to elude." Despite this, they found him "difficult to pin down." Leonard was more known for his defense and rebounding than for his offensive skills when he first joined the league, according to Sporting News. His outside shooting (or lack thereof) was a point of concern, especially because he was compared to Metta World Peace and Gerald Wallace.

Leonard was drafted with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers, but the San Antonio Spurs traded him to the San Antonio Spurs on the night along with the right to Erazem Lorbek and D'vis Bertns in exchange for George Hill. Following the conclusion of the NBA lockout, he signed a multi-year deal with the Spurs on December 10, 2011.

Leonard and teammate Tiago Splitter were selected to compete in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge as members of Team Chuck. Despite being suited up for the tournament, he did not participate due to a calf strain. Leonard was promoted to the starting small forward position after starter Richard Jefferson was traded to the Golden State Warriors for Stephen Jackson, while Jackson served as his backup.

Leonard came in fourth place in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the 2012 NBA All-Rookie First Team for the second time at the end of the season.

Leonard was one of many NBA up-and-coming players selected to play for the 2012 USA men's basketball Select Team in the summer of 2012. They trained with the Olympic team, which included Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul.

The Spurs exercised the team option on Leonard on October 26, 2012, re-signing him through the 2013–14 season.

Leonard was selected to compete in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, where he was once more drafted to Team Chuck. For Team Chuck's second straight year (163–135, he had 20 points and 7 rebounds.

The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the NBA Finals, where they met the Miami Heat. Leonard had 14.6 points and 11.1 rebounds during the Finals, when the Spurs lost the series in seven games.

Leonard scored a season-high 26 points in the Spurs' 112–92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on April 6, 2014. He finished the season with 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.7 steals, while shooting 52.2% from the field. Leonard helped the Spurs reach their 62-20 record – the highest seed in the NBA – and was named to the NBA All-Defense Second Team for the first time.

In the NBA Finals, the Spurs and the Miami Heat met once more. Leonard scored a then-high 29 points in a 111–92 victory on June 10, 2014, in Game 3 of the series. San Antonio went on to win the series 4–1. Leonard had a 17.8 percent shooting average and was named NBA Finals MVP on 61%. He was the third youngest winner of the award (22 years and 351 days), behind only Magic Johnson, who has won in both 1980 (20 years and 278 days) and 1982 (22 years and 298 days). Leonard was also the sixth player, and the first since Chauncey Billups in 2004, to win the Finals MVP in a season in which they were not an All-Star.

Leonard played his first six preseason games and the season opener against the Dallas Mavericks due to an infection in his right eye caused by conjunctivitis, but he also suffered from blurry vision in his right eye. He continued to play through the blurred vision, and the Spurs defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 89-85 on November 10, 2014, he scored a season-high 26 points. Leonard had an injection in his right hand on December 22 and was barred from playing indefinitely after a three-game stretch between December 17 and 20. After missing 15 games, four rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, he returned to action on January 16, 2015, leading the Spurs to a 110-96 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Leonard had 26 points and a career-high 7 steals in a 107-92 victory over the Golden State Warriors on April 5. Leonard was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year on April 23, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win both NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Finals MVP. In a Game 3 first-round victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on the next day, he scored a playoff career-high 32 points. In seven games, the Spurs continued to lose the series.

Leonard re-signed with the Spurs on July 16, 2015, and his five-year, $90 million contract was agreed. In an 112–106 season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 28, he scored a then-high 32 points for his then career-high 32 points. In a 103–83 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, he scored 27 points and made a career-high seven three-pointers. He was named as a starter for the Western Conference team in 2016, earning his first All-Star selection and becoming the sixth Spurs player to be selected as an All-Star starter on January 21, 2016.

Leonard had another 32-point outing in a 112–88 win over the Miami Heat on March 23, 2016, extending their franchise-record home winning streak to 45 games (dating to 2014–15 seasons). In a 102–95 victory over the Toronto Raptors on April 2, he set a new career high with 33 points, aiding the Spurs in a franchise record with their 64th victory. In 2005-06, the Spurs won their sixth game in a row and halted their NBA record home winning streak to begin the season to 39 games. Leonard played for the Spurs in the Western Conference as a result of a 67-15 record and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second year in a row, beating Dennis Rodman in 1989–90 and 1990–91. In addition, Stephen Curry came in second place in the MVP poll.

Leonard led the Spurs up 3–0 in Game 3 of the first-round playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies, tying his highest finish in the series. The Spurs advanced to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round after sweeping the Grizzlies. Leonard, a professional, helped his team go up 2–1 with 31 points and 11 rebounds in Game 3 of the series against the Thunder. However, the Spurs lost the next three games, effectively ending the season with a 4–2 loss.

Leonard had a career-high 35 points and five steals in a 129-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors in the Spurs' season opener on October 25, 2016. In a 108–105 loss to the Phoenix Suns on January 14, 2017, he set a new career high with 38 points, becoming the first Spur to win three straight 30-point games since Tony Parker in 2012. He was named as a starter for the Western Conference All-Star Game in 2017 and had 34 points against the Denver Nuggets for his fifth straight 30-point effort. In a 118–115 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, he tied for the first San Antonio player to score at least 30 points in six straight games since Mike Mitchell in 1986. He then received Western Conference Player of the Week awards for games played from January 16 to 22.

Leonard made 13 of 23 shots, two three-pointers, and finished with 32 points, six rebounds, and four steals in a 110-106 win over the Indiana Pacers on February 13, 2017. It was his fifth straight 30-point game. The Spurs won their 42nd game of the season against the Pacers on Sunday, extending their streak of consecutive victories to a new 20. Leonard, who was named Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career, scored 39 points to lead the Spurs to a 112–110 victory over the Houston Rockets on March 6, who was named Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career. It was his 91st straight game scoring in double figures, beating San Antonio's longest streak since Tim Duncan did so in 2002-03.

Leonard beat the Memphis Grizzlies 111–82 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on April 15, 2017. He tied his post-season record with 32 points. Leonard had a career-high 37 points and 11 rebounds in a 96-82 victory over Memphis, giving him a 2–0 series lead. Leonard set a new personal record in Game 4 of the series in Memphis, scoring 43 points in a 110-108 overtime loss; the series was tied at 2–2. The Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by beating Memphis 103-96 to force the series 4–2, after Leonard's 29 points effort in Game 6. Despite playing without Leonard in Game 6 due to an ankle injury, the Spurs advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a 4–2 victory over the Houston Rockets in the second round.

Leonard landed on Zaza Pachulia's foot in the third quarter of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors after attempting a field goal but re-aggravated his existing ankle injury. As the Spurs lost to the Warriors in four games, he left the game with 26 points and sat out the remainder of the series. Leonard had averages of 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game during the regular season, as well as 27.7 points, 7.8 assists, and 1.7 steals for the playoffs. He was then selected for the second year in a row, as well as winning All-Defensive First Team accolades for the third straight season.

Leonard played in the first 27 games of the season due to a right quadriceps injury, making his season debut against the Dallas Mavericks on December 12, 2017. Between December 12 and January 13, he appeared in nine games between December 12 and January 13. After straining his left shoulder against the Phoenix Suns on January 5, he returned from a three-game absence against the Denver Nuggets on January 13. He was indefinitely suspended in January 17 for a long time to recover his pain from right quadriceps tendinopathy. Leonard was then allowed to play by the Spurs' medical staff, but he obtained his second opinion from his own physicians. Leonard's teammates reportedly pleaded with him to return to the court in March, the Spurs held a players-only meeting in which the team was described as "tense and emotional." Leonard did not return to play in 2018.

Leonard had requested a trade from the Spurs, and he did so after months of tension between his camp and the Spurs resulted from a rift over his injury rehabilitation program. Leonard and teammate Danny Green were traded by the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Pöltl, and a free 2019 first-round draft pick. Given Leonard's health and the possibility of him leaving as a free agent at the end of the season, it was a risky move for the Raptors and their president, Masai Ujiri. Leonard had 24 points and 12 rebounds in his Raptors' season opener, 116-104 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 17. In a 113-101 victory over the Boston Celtics, he had 31 points and ten rebounds.

Leonard was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played between November 26 and December 2. In a 122–116 victory over the Utah Jazz on January 1, 2019, he scored a career-high 45 points. Leonard's streak of scoring at least 20 points in 22 straight games ended on January 31, against the Milwaukee Bucks, when he had 16 points in a 105–92 loss.

Leonard led the Raptors to a 108-95 victory over Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. He had a career-high 45 points on 16-of-23 (69.6%) shooting. He became the second player in Raptors history to reach 40 points in a playoff game, beating Vince Carter (50 points, 2001). Leonard scored a shot from the corner at the buzzer four times before crumbling to the Raptors 92-90 in the Eastern Conference Finals. He finished the game with 41 points on 16-of-39 shootings. This was the first Game 7 buzzer beater in NBA history, and it sparked Leonard's normally quiet cry when he was surrounded by his teammates to let out a triumphant scream. "It was fantastic," Leonard said of the shot afterward: "It was fantastic." That's something I've never seen before, Game 7, game-winning shot. It was a blessing to be able to get to that point and make the shot and feel the moment. It's something I can look back on in my career."

The Raptors continued their 2019 NBA playoffs march against the Milwaukee Bucks, who are top-seeded. Leonard added 36 points, including eight in the second overtime, to help the Raptors beat Milwaukee 118–112 to reduce the Bucks' series lead to 2–1. With 35 points on five 3-pointers, he helped the Raptors take a 3–2 lead in Game 5 for a 105–99 victory. For the first time with a 100-94 victory, he had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Raptors into the NBA Finals for the first time. With a huge dunk on Giannis Antetokounmpo that was set up by a Kyle Lowry steal, Leonard put an exclamation point on the conference win.

Leonard led the Raptors into the 2019 Finals on the back of what was described as an all-time great NBA playoff effort. Leonard had 34 points and 14 rebounds in a 109-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 2. In a 105-92 victory in Oakland, Leonard helped the Raptors take the lead in a 3–1 series with 36 points and 12 rebounds. In Game 6, he scored 22 points to help the Raptors win by 4–2 in their second NBA title. For the second time, he was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time, becoming only the third Finals MVP to win the honor with two squads, alongside LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He is also the first person to win the Finals MVP with a team from each conference. Leonard scored 732 points in the 2019 playoffs, his third-best scoring total for a single NBA postseason, behind only LeBron James (748, 2018) and Michael Jordan (759, 1992).

Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers on July 10, 2019, a three-year, $103 million deal, which included an opt-out provision in 2021.

Leonard debuted for the Clippers on October 22, 2019, where he scored 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in a 112–102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. In a 141–122 victory over the Golden State Warriors on October 24, he scored 21 points and tied a career-high 9 assists. Leonard, who had been with the Clippers for the first time since joining the team, received a ovation from the crowd before scoring 23 points and six assists in 112–92 victory over the Raptors. Leonard scored a then-high 42 points as well as 11 rebounds in a 124-117 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves two days later. As teammate Paul George scored 46 points, it was the first time in franchise history that two players eclipsed 40 points. The Clippers and Lakers clashed once more on Christmas Day in which Leonard put up 35 points on 11-of-19 shooting and 12 rebounds to lead the Clippers to a 111–106 victory despite trailing by as much as 15. Leonard scored a season-high 43 points in just 29 minutes in a 128–103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 14, 2020. For games played from January 13 to 19, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week. Leonard defeated the Miami Heat on January 24, scoring 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists for his first-double-double in his career. Leonard was named the NBA All-Star Game MVP of the 2020 NBA All-Star Game on February 16.

Leonard and the Clippers returned to action in the NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, on July 30, following the 2019-20 NBA season being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Leonard played six out of the team's eight seeding games and was eventually selected to the NBA's All-Bubble Second Team, averaging 28.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. The Clippers defeated the Dallas Mavericks in six games, while Leonard finished with over 30 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists for the series in the first round of the NBA playoffs. In the Western Conference semifinals, the Clippers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets, losing in seven games after surrendering a 3–1 series lead. Leonard had a bad game in Game 7, scoring only 14 points and shooting 6-of-22 from the field. Leonard was selected to his fourth All-NBA Team.

Leonard scored 26 points and two steals in the Los Angeles Clippers' season opener on December 22, 2020, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 116-109. Leonard was forced to leave early on December 25, after suffering an elbow injury while teammate Serge Ibaka forced Leonard out of the game early. Leonard sustained a wound in his mouth as a result of his injury, which required him to get eight stitches. Leonard returned to the Clippers wearing a clear plastic mask after being out for two games due to the injury on December 30, winning by a 105-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, who scored a game-high 28 points and seven assists.

Leonard led the Clippers to a 47-27 record and the fourth-place finish in the Western Conference after playing in 52 out of 72 regular season games. He averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and a career-best 5.2 assists for the season. He was named seventh All-Defensive Team pick and fifth All-NBA Team pick third on both directions of the floor for his seventh All-NBA Team selection and fifth All-NBA Team selection third. The Clippers defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs, beating them in the first round of the previous year. The Clippers bounced back from losing the first two games at home, with Leonard scoring 36 and 29 points respectively in Dallas games. Leonard led the Clippers in the elimination Game 6 playoffs, tying his career-high 45 points and then winning by 28 points, ten assists, and four steals in the pivotal Game 7 victory, advancing to the next round after losing Game 5.

The Clippers were now down 0–2 at the start of the season, this time to the first-seeded Utah Jazz. Leonard scored 34 and 31 points respectively in convincing victories at home and in a thrilling run. He was unable to recover at the end of Game 4 after being fouled by Joe Ingles. Leonard was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a knee sprain, and the Clippers won the next two games and advanced to the first Western Conference Finals in franchise history. The Clippers' playoff run was cut short by the Phoenix Suns in six games, with Leonard unable to recover and missing the entire series. Leonard underwent surgery on July 13 to repair a partial tear of the ACL in his right knee.

Leonard re-signed with the Clippers on August 12, 2021, to a maximum four-year, $176.3 million deal, with the fourth year being a player option. Leonard was inactive for the entire season after recovering from a partial knee injury. Without Leonard, the Clippers finished 42-39 and qualified for the Play-in tournament, but the Clippers failed to qualify for the playoffs after being defeated by both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Leonard recovered from injury on October 3, 2022, putting up 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a 102-97 victory over the Trail Blazers. Leonard made his regular season debut on October 20, scoring 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists off the bench.

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