The San Antonio Clippers faced off against the Los Angeles Clippers in the AT&T Center on the 21st of November. All eyes were on the likes of Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs’ rookie sensation, and their former star Kawhi Leonard who plays for the Clippers now.
Before the game kicked off, during the practice session between both the teams, fans of the Spurs did not welcome their old boy Kawhi Leonard gracefully, They instead were booing him during his practice session with the Clippers.
Spurs fans showered Kawhi Leonard with boos when he was announced in the Clippers starting lineup 👀
Does Kawhi deserve the boos in San Antonio? 🤔
(via @HectorLedesmaTV) pic.twitter.com/ZXpgX7uyKd
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 21, 2023
This was well and truly a nightmare comeback to the AT&T center for him, and this might have not been the comeback he would have hoped for. Although Kawhi is a character that remains unfazed by all this and this time that is exactly what happened.
Kawhi Leonard has always been a top performer wherever he played. The NBA community respects his skillset and abilities, and for the Spurs; fans to act like that against their former player was a bit of a surprise for rival fans too.
Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers breeze past Spurs
The Spurs were defeated by the Clippers, 124–99. For the Clippers, Paul George finished with 28 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell combined for 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 19 points and 5 rebounds in the win. For the Spurs, Keldon Johnson finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds (all stats are according to StatMuse).
Kawhi Leonard hoy vs Spurs
28 minutos:
21 pts
4 reb
3 ast
1 rob
✅ pic.twitter.com/GpCuS0JCna— Kawhista (@kawhista) November 21, 2023
Kawhi Leonard who was booed by the home fans finally got the better of them in their own backyard. He and Paul Geroge were the stand-outs for the Clippers as they easily breezed past the sorry Spurs side. The Clippers dominated the Spurs throughout the whole game.
The Clippers had recently ended a six-game losing streak when they got to San Antonio. But against the faltering Spurs, they appeared to be the force to be reckoned with in the coming months. It remains to be seen how they perform next in the season.
Kawhi Leonard’s time at the San Antonio Spurs
Kawhi Leonard transformed into one of the league’s best payers during his time at the San Antonio Spurs. He won the NBA championship for Spurs in the 2014 season and was also named as the finals MVP. That season San Antonio Spurs won the series 4-1 with dominance over the Miami Heat and a young Kawhi was a standout performer in that series.
🗓 On This Day in 2014:
The Spurs beat the Heat 4-1 to win their fifth franchise title 💍
Kawhi Leonard won Finals MVP 🏆pic.twitter.com/0GEIT6EjTM
— SIDELINE (@SidelineFamily) June 15, 2021
His rise from a largely unheard-of draft choice in 2011 to the 2014 NBA Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Awards in 2015 and 2016 culminated in a personal high for the Spurs in 2016–17. He averaged 25.5 points per game (StatMuse), placed third in the MVP voting, and helped the team to the Western Conference Finals.
Eventually, over the years his relationship with the Spurs started to reach a low point, and was traded in the 2018-2019 season to the Toronto Raptors. Kawhi will always go down as one of the NBA greats as his willpower and abilities to win matches speak for himself and for the people who doubt him.