OAKLAND, Calif. – Kawhi Leonard’s first season with the Toronto Raptors started with his now-infamous laugh.
During the team’s media day last fall, the low-key Leonard issued a somewhat disarming chuckle after describing himself – in deadpan fashion – as a “fun guy,” a moment that lives on via viral video.
His first season with the Raptors ended with him getting the last laugh.
There’s plenty of video evidence of how he achieved that, too.
The best player on the NBA’s newly crowned best team is an MVP of the league’s title series for the second time. Toronto finally sits atop the basketball universe, with much credit due to Leonard after he averaged 28.5 points in this year’s NBA Finals as the Raptors dethroned the Golden State Warriors, who were shooting for their third straight title and fourth in five years.
Toronto ended the best-of-seven series late Thursday night with a 114-110 victory in Game 6, the Warriors’ farewell contest at Oracle Arena – they’re moving across the bay to San Francisco next season – after a run of five straight NBA Finals.
Leonard’s offense and defense throughout this postseason arguably ended any debate about who the NBA’s best two-way player in the sport is at this moment.
“This is what I play basketball for,” the 6-foot-7 forward said. “This is what I work out for.”
The King of the North, as they’ve been calling Leonard in Toronto, was King of the Playoffs. At 27, he became the third player to be named NBA Finals MVP with two franchises, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James. Leonard’s first honor came in the 2014 title series when he was with the San Antonio Spurs, who drafted him 15th overall in 2011.
“I think he’s the best two-way basketball player in the NBA,” Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. “He just goes. You know, I’ve seen some stuff from him this year that you just say, ‘Wow.’ You do. You say, ‘Wow.’ You appreciate the work that he’s put in. He works extremely hard at his game and works extremely hard on his body. And he loves this basketball thing. Loves it.”
Perhaps never more so than Thursday night. After missing most of the 2017-18 season with a leg injury, after having his commitment questioned, after being traded by the Spurs to Toronto, Leonard returned to basketball’s mountaintop. He thrust both arms high into the air when it was over, letting out a scream of joy.
He even allowed himself a tiny smile when he hoisted the MVP trophy.
“He’s just a competitor,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “We respect that, for sure. He’s shown that again this entire playoff run.”
Leonard scored 732 points in this year’s playoffs. Only Michael Jordan (759 in 1993) and James (748 in 2018) ever scored more in a single postseason. Leonard also finished with 14 games of 30 or more points. The only players with more in a single postseason are Jordan (16 in 1992), Hakeem Olajuwon (16 in 1995) and Kobe Bryant (15 in 2009).
“Without a doubt, the best thing about this thing is that somehow I wound up on the sideline getting to watch this guy play up close,” said Raptors coach Nick Nurse, who won an NBA title in his first season as a head coach in the league. “It’s really cool.”
The trade that sent DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio for Leonard was high-risk, high-reward. Leonard was acquired on July 18 and formally introduced as training camp was beginning on Sept. 24. He can become a free agent on June 30, and he’ll almost certainly make in excess of $32 million next season, no matter how long a deal he ends up signing – and whether that’s in Toronto or someplace else.
Regardless of what’s next, Leonard’s memorable postseason won’t soon be forgotten.
There was the four-bounces-off-the-rim, at-the-buzzer jump shot from the corner to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of the second round. A 15-point fourth quarter to lift the Raptors past the Bucks in the pivotal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. A 17-point third quarter in Oakland in Game 4 of the title set as the Raptors took control of the game and the series.
Off the court, Leonard can be thought of as enigmatic or antisocial. He’s not really either of those things. He’s just quiet.
His path has not been an easy one. He wasn’t highly recruited in high school. By the time bigger colleges were calling, he was committed to San Diego State. He wasn’t a lottery pick in the NBA draft.
He rarely opens up about anything, particularly his private life. He hardly ever discusses the murder of his father, which happened when Leonard was in high school. He scored 17 points in a game the day after his father was shot and killed, perhaps the ultimate proof he’s always been capable of blocking out everything else when he steps onto a court.
“Once it happened, I thought about it a lot,” Leonard said. “But as I got older, I pretty much just really stopped thinking about it. I think it just gave me a sense and feel that life and basketball are two different things, and just really enjoy your time and moments.
“Like I always say, this is basketball: Just go out there and have fun. These are going to be the best years of my life, playing this game.”
His best year yet just happened – and with Leonard entering his prime, there might be much more to come.