Kawhi Leonard
Teams
San Antonio Spurs - 2011-18
Toronto Raptors - 2018-19
Los Angeles Clippers - 2019-present
Playoffs
Appearances - 9 (2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2019,2020,2021)
Conference Finals - 5 (2012,2013,2014,2017,2019)
NBA Finals - 3 (2013,2014,2019)
Championships - 2 (2014,2019)
Awards and Honors
Finals MVP - 2 (2014,2019)
Defensive Player of the Year - 2 (2015,2016)
All-NBA First Team - 3 (2016,2017,2021)
All-NBA Second Team - 2 (2019,2020)
All-NBA Third Team - 0 (2016,2017,2021)
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Steals Per Game - #37
Free Throw Percentage - #50
Points Per Game - #87
League Leads
Total Steals (#5-2015)
Steals Per Game (#1-2015)
Three-Point Percentage (#3-2016)
After averaging 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and leading San Diego State to the Sweet 16 in 2011, Kawhi Leonard was drafted #15 by the Indiana Pacers, then immediately traded to the San Antonio Spurs in a deal for George Hill.
Kawhi established himself early as a defensive stopper, making the All-Defensive Second Team in his third season, which was a big year for him. In the regular season, he averaged 12.8 points and 6.2 rebounds, but he increased his scoring to 17.8 per game in the NBA Finals, allowing the Spurs to avenge their loss to Miami the previous season, and he was awarded the Finals MVP for stepping up in the Finals, becoming the third-youngest to ever win the award, behind Magic Johnson twice.
The next season, he averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.3 steals, which helped earn him the Defensive Player of the Year award. That made him only the third player in history to win both a Finals MVP and a DPOY award, joining Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan, which is a pretty good list.
He improved on the offensive side of the ball the next season, increasing his scoring to 21.2 per game, while still keeping up his defensive intensity, and he was again voted the Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named an All-Star starter and a member of the All-NBA First Team that year, both for the first time in his career.
He got even better the next year, increasing his scoring to 25.5 per game, making a repeat appearance on the All-NBA First Team, and leading the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals for the first time as their star player. Unfortunately, he injured his ankle in the second round, then reaggravated it in Game 1 of the Conference Finals, which ended his season and the Spurs' as well.
Leonard missed the beginning of the next season with a quadriceps injury, then made a brief return in December and January, before shutting down for the rest of the season. The Spurs' medical staff believed that he was healthy enough to return, but his personal doctors did not agree, and it ruined his relationship with the team, and he requested a trade after the season.
He was traded to the Toronto Raptors during the offseason, and he picked up right where he left off before his lost season. He set new career highs with 26.6 points and 7.3 rebounds, and led the Raptors to their first-ever championship. Along the way, he became the first player to ever hit a game-winning buzzer beater in a Game 7, and he won the Finals MVP for the second time, and this time there was no doubt. He scored the third-most points ever in a single playoff run, behind only LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
Leonard was a free agent after winning the title, and he elected to return to his hometown, signing with the LA Clippers, and had the best regular season of his career so far, with another career high of 27.1 points. It didn't quite work out in the playoffs, though, with Kawhi playing at a very high level through the first round and most of the second, but he had his worst game in game 7 of the second round, and the Clippers lost to the Nuggets.
Last season, he sat out 20 games and saw his averages drop slightly, but he was excellent when the playoffs rolled around. He was averaging over 30 points per game as he led the Nuggets back from 0-2 deficits in the first and second rounds, but he suffered a partial ACL tear late in Game 4 of the second round, ending his season early, and the Clippers lost in the Conference Finals with Kawhi in street clothes.
Kawhi is one of the youngest players on this list, only 30 years old right now, but he has already accomplished a lot in his career, especially the two DPOY awards and 2 Finals MVP awards, both huge accomplishments. As talented as he is, you have to hope that his body allows him to play at the level he is capable of for many more years, but whether or not that happens, he is already one of the greatest players of all time.
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