Kawhi Leonard received huge praise from former coach Phil Handy, who put him at the same level as probably the three greatest players in NBA history.
The Los Angeles Clippers superstar has earned the love and respect of NBA fans thanks to his personality and competitiveness. He may not be the loudest or flashiest player of all but Kawhi has that killer mentality that not everybody has.
Talking with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on Showtime’s “All the Smoke,” Handy recalled the first time he spoke with Kawhi as his coach. Handy discussed the adjustments Leonard made during the 2019 ECF, stating he would guard Giannis Antetokounmpo to win that series. Moreover, he went to say that the Klaw has the same mentality as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan (1:12:10).
“Kawhi is cut from the same cloth as Kobe, LeBron as MJ… The first time we worked out together after the trade stuff cleared, I reached out to him. I said I’m just excited to build with you, and he was like ‘when are you coming to San Diego?’
“We got in the gym, and he said ‘look coach, I like the gym quiet, I don’t like people in the gym. I like to get my work in.’ That set the tone. He’s just one of those dudes that really just about getting better.”
We’ve learned about Leonard’s competitiveness over the years. He’s been all about getting better since his days in San Antonio. Curiously, he trained with Kobe Bryant, and the Black Mamba surely helped him reach the next level.
Every offseason he’s trying to improve his game, becoming one of the 10 best players in the league right now. Unfortunately, injuries have been bothering him recently, including now that he was playing great basketball against the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals.
Leonard isn’t talked as much as the other mentioned players, but his mindset is exactly the same.
