After helping the Spurs win a championship in 2014, and being named the Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard was crowned as the future of the franchise and nobody thought he’d ever leave. But after things turned sour in the 2017-17 season, Kawhi demanded out from the Spurs in a situation that still leaves many unanswered questions. Looking back on it, former Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge offered his perspective on Kawhi’s exit and explained where things went wrong that season…
“When somebody’s ready to go, they ready to go,” said Aldridge. “When somebody’s ready to go, they ready to go. Even when you’re there, certain sh*t is never told to everybody, some sh*t stays behind closed doors. Sh*t was going back and forth with them but we didn’t know what was going on.”
Why did Kawhi want out of San Antonio?
LaMarcus Aldridge and Stak give their perspective as former members of the Spurs organization.
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Aldridge joined the Spurs in Kawhi’s final season there, but it seems even he was kept in the dark about what was going on. Fortunately, Stephen Jackson was able to shed some light on why Kawhi was pulled away from the organization.
“You got to be a strong-willed and a strong-minded brother to make it on the San Antonio Spurs,” said Jackson. “Pop is going to test you. Me and Kawhi couldn’t take that sh*t. We wanted to hoop, we didn’t want to be in the corner… and that was Kawhi’s attitude. He wanted to hoop, and when the injury stuff came down how they didn’t fight for him.”
When Kawhi was finally traded in the summer of 2018, it set the Spurs back years and they have yet to return to a place of relevancy in the West. But now, there are some major questions about Popovich and the kind of culture he has established in the locker room.
Kawhi’s Ugly Breakup With The Spurs
Kawhi has always been a more private and reserved superstar but his situation with the Spurs became a national story when he only played nine games that season. Despite a clean bill of health from the medical staff, Leonard refused to step foot on the court and maintained that he wasn’t ready to put his body on the line. Put this alongside Popo’s infamous tough-love coaching strategy, and it starts to make sense why Leonard (and Stephen Jackson) had enough.
As the Spurs began to go against Leonard’s story, and sparked questions about his absence, he cut all ties with the team and demanded a trade which was granted that summer. By all accounts, the war between Leonard and the Spurs was personal and as the head decision-maker of the team, it’s impossible to deny that Popovich deserves some of the blame.
Gregg Popovich Is Part Of The Problem
With over 1,300 wins to his name, Gregg Popovich is undoubtedly one of the best coaches of all time and his resume speaks for itself. Even so, Popovich is far from perfect and it’s common knowledge that his aggressive coaching style has pushed away several stars from the organization, including Kawhi Leonard.
Even now, with young prospect Victor Wembanyama on the team, Popovich has failed to find any kind of success with the Spurs, who are just 4-25 on the season with the worst record in the West. After the departure of Kawhi and several years of miserable seasons, it’s time to ask some tough questions about Popovich and if he’s the best guy to build up this next generation of the Spurs roster.
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