#2 Small Forward

Kawhi Leonard

Height / Weight
6' 7" / 225 lbs
Born
Jun 29, 1991 (33)
College
San Diego State
NBA Draft
1st Round, 15th Overall, 2011
NBA Champ.
2
Nationality
American
Net Worth
$84.4 Million
SEASON STATS
2023-2024
PTS
23.7
-0.1
Rebounds
6.1
-0.4
Assists
3.6
-0.3
PER
28.35
-0.22
PLAYER INFO
Full Name: Kawhi Leonard
Nickname: The Claw
Place of Birth: Riverside, California
Shoe Size: 14
Education: San Diego State
Parents: Mark Leonard and Kim Robertson

Kawhi Leonard Biography Details, Age, Net Worth, and Basketball Career

Kawhi Leonard was a relative unknown when the San Antonio Spurs famously traded up to select him in the 2011 NBA Draft. Since then, he has become one of the most successful active NBA players. He has already won NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors, and in 2019 moved to the LA Clippers who are seen as strong championship contenders. In both his NBA Finals wins, he was awarded the NBA Finals MVP.

Always known for his strong defensive play at the small forward position, Leonard has evolved to be a true superstar, one of the best players on both offensive and defensive ends. He regularly takes the toughest defensive assignments while also working as his team’s primary scoring threat. Kawhi Leonard’s hands, strong build, long arms, and aggressive defensive instincts have won him multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards and many consider him one of the greatest perimeter defenders of all time.

Kawhi Leonard Basketball Career

High School Career

After two years at Canyon Springs High School, Leonard transferred to Martin Luther King High School. There, he partnered with Tony Snell to lead the team to a 30-3 record during his senior year, when he averaged well over a triple-double with 22.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game.

Leonard was named California’s Mr. Basketball in 2011 and was ranked the No. 8 small forward in the nation in the class of 2011.

College Career

Leonard chose to play NCAA basketball with the San Diego State University Aztecs. In his freshman year, he helped the Aztecs dominate Mountain West Conference play, with a 25-9 overall record and a conference tournament title. He was named the 2010 Tournament MVP, but the team lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

In his sophomore year, Leonard increased his production to 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. The team achieved a 34-3 record, another MWC tournament championship, and this year they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to eventual champions Connecticut. Leonard was named as a Second Team All-American.

Leonard declared for the NBA draft following his sophomore season. In 2020, he became the only SDSU basketball player to have his college jersey number retired.

NBA Career

The San Antonio Spurs surprised many observers by trading point guard George Hill to the Indiana Pacers for the rights to select Leonard with the 15th overall pick. He was viewed as an excellent defensive prospect with limited offensive potential. Leonard had a strong rookie year, playing in 64 games and averaging 7.9 points per game despite having a limited offensive role behind players like Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. He was named to the All-Rookie First Team and placed fourth in Rookie of the Year voting.

Leonard’s three-point shooting was better than many expected, averaging over 37% in his first three years. Even in these early years, he was developing into an elite three and D role player. In his second and third years in the league, the Spurs made two memorable trips to the NBA finals. In 2013, they lost in seven games to LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and the Miami Heat. The two teams rematched in 2014. The Spurs won easily in five games behind a historic offensive performance, but Leonard’s shutdown defense on LeBron James earned him the NBA Finals MVP award.

Leonard’s offensive role continued to grow. After 12.8 points per game in their championship-winning year, he improved to 16.5, 21.2, and 25.5 points per game in the next three years. In 2015 he was also selected as the Defensive Player of the Year, while in 2016 he earned his first All-Star selection. In 2017, his growth into the Spurs’ primary offensive weapon, along with another All-Defensive First Team appearance, pushed him into the MVP conversation. An injury in the Conference Finals against the eventual champions Golden State Warriors ended the Spurs’ championship hopes and led to the beginning of the tension between Leonard and his team.

It was known that Leonard would miss much of the beginning of the 2017-2018 season after his postseason injury, but as the timeline for his return kept being pushed back under vague circumstances, many around the team were irked by the confusion. Later reporting suggested that Leonard’s personal doctors and team medical staff disagreed on the best treatment for his injury. Leonard ended up playing only 9 games in the season, and trust broke down between him and the Spurs. The 2018 season ended with plenty of speculation that the Spurs would seek to trade their star player.

Despite only having one year left on his contract, Leonard was acquired by the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a draft pick. The team was cautious with his injury, and he only played 60 regular-season games, but over the course of the season returned to the form that allowed him to dominate both ends of the court. The team earned the second seed in the playoffs, and Leonard took on a starring role in the postseason. He beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round with a famous buzzer-beater that bounced four times and helped slow down the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antentokoumpo in the conference finals as the Raptors won 4 games to 2. The team defeated an injury-plagued Golden State Warriors, earning the franchise’s first championship. Leonard again received the Finals MVP award. 

As the 2019 offseason began, many teams had high hopes that they could land the free agent Leonard. A native of Riverside, California, it was believed the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers had the best chance of signing him. He signed for the LA Clippers after they agreed to trade for Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder, pairing two of the league’s best wing players. The duo led the team to the second seed in the west, with Leonard averaging almost 27 points per game, before the league was suspended due to the coronavirus.

Kawhi Leonard Net Worth, Salary, Endorsements & Career Earnings

Leonard earned $7.4 million on his rookie deal. He agreed to hold off on an extension so that the Spurs could have room to sign LaMarcus Aldridge in 2015. He then signed a five-year, $90M contract with the Spurs.

After his relationship with the team deteriorated, Leonard was traded to Toronto in 2018. He chose to enter free agency by opting out of the last year of his contract in 2019. After ensuring that they would also acquire a second star in Paul George, Leonard signed a three-year maximum deal with the LA Clippers.

Leonard has had an endorsement deal with New Balance since 2018. He was previously signed with Air Jordan.

Kawhi Leonard signed a three-year, $103 million deal with the LA Clippers in 2019.

Kawhi Leonard Personal Life

Leonard has two children with longtime girlfriend Kishele Shipley.

Awards & Achievements

NBA Championships:
2014 with San Antonio Spurs
2019 with Toronto Raptors
Awards and Honors by Type:
2 x NBA Finals MVP
2014, 2019
4 x NBA All-Star
2016, 2017, 2019, 2020
1 x NBA All-Star Game MVP
2020
2 x All-NBA First Team
2016, 2017
2 x NBA Defensive Player of the Year
2015, 2016
3 x NBA All-Defensive First Team
2015-2017
1 x NBA All-Rookie First Team
2012
1 x NBA steals leader
2015
1 x AP Athlete of the Year
2019
Awards and Honors by Year:
2012
NBA All-Rookie First Team
2014
NBA Finals MVP
2015
NBA Defensive Player of the Year, NBA All-Defensive First Team, NBA steals leader
2016
NBA All-Star, All-NBA First Team, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, NBA All-Defensive First Team
2017
NBA All-Star, All-NBA First Team, NBA All-Defensive First Team
2019
NBA Finals MVP, NBA All-Star, AP Athlete of the Year
2020
NBA All-Star, NBA All-Star Game MVP

Kawhi Leonard Quotes

  • “I like being the underdog so they don’t expect what’s going to happen. It pushes me to work harder and do the things I’m not doing better.”
  • “ I just want to win, I don’t care about being the best player. I want to be the best team. I’ve always said that.”
  • “I am not one of the guys in the league for the fame,” The Klaw said. “I’m here so I can take care of my family, my mom, my friends and take care of myself.”

Kawhi Leonard Fun Facts

  • Leonard’s 732 points in the 2019 playoffs are the third-best postseason scoring performance after Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
  • Leonard is one of only three players to win Finals MVP with two different teams, the others being LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
  • Leonard is known for shunning the spotlight and avoiding social media; his Twitter account only follows six accounts.
  • After signing a five-year, $90M deal in 2015, Leonard still drove the 19-year old car he used as a teenager.
Career stats
2023-2024
LAC
2022-2023
LAC
2021-2022
LAC
2020-2021
LAC
2019-2020
LAC
2018-2019
TOR
2017-2018
SA
2016-2017
SA
2015-2016
SA
2014-2015
SA
2013-2014
SA
2012-2013
SA
2011-2012
SA
Season Team G MIN FG% 3P% FT% REB AST BLK STL PTS
2023-2024
68 34.3 52.5 41.7 88.5 6.1 3.6 0.9 1.6 23.7
2022-2023
52 33.6 51.2 41.6 87.1 6.5 3.9 0.5 1.4 23.8
2021-2022
0 N/A 0.0 0.0 0.0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
2020-2021
52 34.1 51.2 39.8 88.5 6.5 5.2 0.4 1.6 24.8
2019-2020
57 32.4 47.0 37.8 88.6 7.1 4.9 0.6 1.8 27.1
2018-2019
60 34.0 49.6 37.1 85.4 7.3 3.3 0.4 1.8 26.6
2017-2018
9 23.2 46.8 31.4 81.6 4.7 2.3 1.0 2.0 16.2
2016-2017
74 33.4 48.5 38.0 88.0 5.8 3.5 0.7 1.8 25.5
2015-2016
72 33.0 50.6 44.3 87.4 6.9 2.6 1.0 1.8 21.2
2014-2015
64 31.8 47.9 34.9 80.2 7.2 2.5 0.8 2.3 16.5
2013-2014
66 29.1 52.2 37.9 80.2 6.2 2.0 0.8 1.7 12.8
2012-2013
58 31.2 49.4 37.4 82.5 6.0 1.6 0.6 1.7 11.9
2011-2012
66 23.9 48.7 36.6 76.1 5.1 1.1 0.4 1.3 7.8
Recent Games
Fri 4/26
Tue 4/23
Sun 3/31
Fri 3/29
Wed 3/27
Mon 3/25
Sun 3/24
Fri 3/22
Wed 3/20
Sun 3/17
Date Opp RESULT MIN PTS OR DR REB AST STL BLK TO
Fri 4/26
L 90-101
24 9 1 8 9 2 0 0 4
Tue 4/23
L 96-93
34 15 2 5 7 2 4 1 0
Sun 3/31
W 130-118
37 23 1 4 5 2 0 0 2
Fri 3/29
W 100-97
37 29 1 10 11 5 4 2 3
Wed 3/27
W 108-107
35 17 4 5 9 3 2 2 1
Mon 3/25
L 133-116
38 26 2 2 4 3 0 2 3
Sun 3/24
L 121-107
31 20 1 5 6 3 1 0 2
Fri 3/22
W 125-117
29 22 1 5 6 3 0 1 3
Wed 3/20
W 116-103
28 24 1 3 4 2 4 0 2
Sun 3/17
L 110-93
36 28 0 2 2 2 1 1 3

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