Kawhi Leonard is unlike any other star in the NBA today. He’s quiet, reserved, and a hard guy to read.
Throughout his career, the media has turned themselves in circles trying to figure this guy out, and what his plans were for the future.
Even when he signed with the Clippers in 2019, nobody knew how long he’d stay — maybe he didn’t even know himself.
But on the cusp of his third season with the Clippers, with his previous two having ended in disaster, he reiterated his commitment to the franchise and why he plans on staying for the foreseeable future.
“I’m here,” Leonard told Arash Markazi. “I’m here to be a Clipper. I’m not going to another team unless something drastic happens. I’m here for the long run.”
“I made my decision based on at first, obviously, family, being closer to my family, being in the state of California,” Leonard said. “Once I got here, I learned who works here, who was in the front office, and just building chemistry with the staff and people in the front office. A big part of it was just winning. They want to win, I want to win, and I’m home. I’m comfortable with the guys on my team, and I just felt like it was a good situation.”
Leonard signed a 4-year extension back in August, worth roughly $176.3 million. It was a bit out of the norm for Kawhi, who typically signs shorter deals.
“The best situation for me was to do it one-and-one and then opt out and then sign a long-term five-year deal,” Leonard said. “But there’s a lot of concerns that that brings up for you guys and your job, and it creates storylines that I’m going to leave the team. I wanted to secure some money and I wanted to be able to come back if I was able to this year. If I would have took the one-and-one, I probably would have not played just to be cautious and opted out into the five-year.”
Kawhi, 30, is coming off a serious knee injury that he suffered during L.A.’s 2021 playoff run. It could keep him out for the entirety of this upcoming season.
Nonetheless, Leonard remains optimistic about his future and certain that he is in the right place at this stage of his career.
