SAN ANTONIO — Kawhi Leonard stood in his usual spot during starting lineup introductions with the LA Clippers on the road. The San Antonio Spurs’ public address announcer rattled off the names of the Clippers’ starters and got to Leonard last:
“Six-foot-seven forward from San Diego State, No. 2, Kawhi Leonard.”
The boos from Frost Bank Center’s sellout crowd intensified; they had already been heard when James Harden was introduced. Leonard played for the Spurs from his rookie season in 2011-12 until he was traded to the Toronto Raptors in the 2018 offseason. The highs were special: two Defensive Player of the Year Awards, two All-Star selections and a 2014 Finals MVP, the most recent of San Antonio’s five NBA championships.
But Leonard’s final season with the Spurs in 2017-18 was little more than a nine-game cameo, marred by right quadriceps tendinopathy that delayed the start of his season until Dec. 12 and ended it on Jan. 13. Leonard’s connection with the franchise he debuted with disintegrated.
He has been booed in Bexar County ever since. Last season, the booing got so intense that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich implored the crowd during a game to knock it off.
San Antonio didn’t listen to Pop, they are still booing Kawhi Leonard pic.twitter.com/HMGxMh8IAF
— Law Murray 🔜 (@LawMurrayTheNU) January 30, 2025
But here’s the thing about Leonard: He played in San Antonio. He won at the highest level in San Antonio. He gets the fan base. He understands the boos.
“It’s just because of the player I am, you know what I mean, and what I’ve done here,” Leonard said Wednesday night from the visitors locker room after the Clippers beat the Spurs 128-116. “So, it’s a little pain in the heart still. And they’re also fans, but it’s still love.”
At this point, Leonard would not expect anything less, in part because of how passionate Spurs fans are but also because he’s a special player. In his ninth game of the season for the Clippers, Leonard demonstrated that he is indeed still that guy.
Leonard began Wednesday’s game defending 20-year veteran point guard Chris Paul. It was a quiet night for Paul: 7 points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field. Every time Leonard touched the ball, he was booed.
In the 7:13 Leonard played in the second quarter, the Clippers outscored the Spurs by 14 points. Leonard shined as a passer in that stint, collecting three of his season-high seven assists, including a precise bounce pass that somehow led to a Kevin Porter Jr. 3-point play:
In the third quarter, Leonard came out with the intent to bury the Spurs. Leonard’s midrange was on point, as he made 7 of 11 non-paint 2s; San Antonio made only 4 of 12 midrange field goals. Three of Leonard’s midrange makes were in the first half of the third quarter, including this shot over 7-foot-5 Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama:
“Just his presence on the floor defensively and offensively to calm us down — having 11 turnovers in the first half and having six in the second half — I thought he came out in the third quarter and really took control of that game,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of Leonard.
The Clippers led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, but separate San Antonio runs of 13-2 and 7-0 erased that lead and gave the Spurs momentum entering the fourth quarter. Monday night in
“I knew once they came back, it was going to be a tough game, and so I felt like we were going to need him down the stretch,” Lue said.
The Spurs took a 107-106 lead after a Devin Vassell layup with 5:02 remaining. But Leonard came down on the next possession and assisted center Ivica Zubac for a 3-point play that gave the Clippers a lead they would not relinquish. Lue got Leonard out of the game with about a minute left in his restriction, then brought him back again with 2:55 left to play. From there, Leonard capped the decisive 13-0 run, made the right plays when the Spurs blitzed him and completed his sixth dunk of the season (all in the past week) after outrunning San Antonio’s transition defense.
Leonard finished Wednesday’s game with a season-best 27 points in a season-high 28:39. And as he continues to get back to the player who first showed star form as a Spur a decade ago, he is doing it with what is becoming a powerful starting lineup for the Clippers.
In 23 minutes, the Clippers’ five-man group of Leonard, Harden, Zubac, Norman Powell and Derrick Jones Jr. outscored the Spurs 69-60. Leonard was one of four Clippers to score at least 20 points. Harden had 21 points and 11 assists, and after five first-quarter turnovers, he had only one for the rest of the game (none after halftime). Powell had 27 points, the 19th time this season he has scored at least 25 points in a game. Zubac had 21 points and a season-high 22 rebounds, his second 20-20 game of the month; he had more offensive rebounds (nine) than the entire Spurs team (seven).
“I think it’s just consistency in us,” Leonard said of the new Clippers starting lineup. “Zu playing better, getting rebounds. Him learning James in his second year with pick-and-roll, being more patient in that pocket. And then, obviously, you got Norm, who can shoot, score the ball at three different levels. And then you know, adding me, being able to do the same thing and guard on the other end. I think that helps.”
Even though the Spurs have Wembanyama as the face of the franchise, Leonard still resonates in San Antonio. He still has it going on, even if he has to hear the jeers from his original team.
“There’s still love in the city wherever I go,” Leonard says. “But obviously, when I put on that different jersey, it’s — they have a great fan base. They’re going to stick to the Spurs. And, you know, I’m OK with that.”
(Photo of Kawhi Leonard and Spurs forward Harrison Barnes: Daniel Dunn / Imagn Images)
