Kawhi Leonard made it cool again to be the quiet guy on the court. In his storied career, Leonard has two titles and Finals MVPs, coming up under Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan in San Antonio. But before his dominance in the NBA, The Klaw was virtually a kid who came out of nowhere. Mostly staying to himself, Leonard was hard to notice in a normal setting. But when he played basketball, his presence screamed.
Fran Fraschilla was a collegiate coach at Paul Pierce's skill development camp in 2008. Once the activities got underway, Fraschilla noticed the kid who carried himself a bit differently than most.
"After the first morning, this kid was always at the front of the line," Fraschilla said , per ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "He never said anything in the drills, but he was a ferocious competitor. When I asked about him, they said he was a local kid from the Inland Empire [a region that begins about 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles], and we wanted to give him a chance.
"He competed the entire three days and didn't say a word. I don't remember a conversation with him. [...] I don't even remember what his voice was at the time."
Leonard still isn't very talkative on the court. You can only imagine what he was like as a shy kid trying to make his mark in front of those with power. The Klaw never really cared about being in the spotlight or sharing laughs and giggles with teammates or opponents on the court. Whichever way was the quickest way to win is all he cares about doing.
Kawhi's rise in the NBA
Starting their dynastic run with David Robinson and Tim Duncan, adding Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, and then drafting Leonard, the Spurs never failed to compete for championships. When it was Leonard's time to shine, he took the mantle and lifted the Spurs even higher through the regular season. With No. 2 at the helm, the Spurs enjoyed back-to-back seasons of 60+ wins (2016, 2017).
Joining elites like Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon, Leonard became the third player to win NBA Finals MVP and NBA Defensive Player of the Year while he was still with the Spurs. He joined Spurs legends George Gervin , David Robinson, and Tim Duncan as the fourth player in franchise history to record a season with at least 20 games of 30+ points.
When Kawhi unlocked his ultimate confidence
Shortly after being dealt to the Toronto Raptors, Leonard was meme'd as 'Fun Guy.' After missing the entire previous season due to injury, Leonard's critics waited to see if the superstar forward would reclaim his status as one of the best players in basketball.
Months later, 'Fun Guy' threw his hands up, screaming at the top of his lungs as his teammate Kyle Lowry ran over to celebrate the franchise's first NBA championship. Absorbing the doubt and criticism all year long, he conquered the NBA world and was fairly appointed as the league's new best player. Move over LeBron, Durant, Steph — Leonard was the NBA Finals MVP for the second time.
Related: Kendrick Perkins says the Clippers should trade Kawhi and rebuild: "Where are they going at this moment?"
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