All eyes may have been on the riveting clash between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers on Opening Night, except for Kawhi Leonard.
The Los Angeles Clippers star, with a deadpan expression, had a classic reply as to why he didn’t watch the season opener as the unit gears up to kickstart their 2022-23 campaign against the Lakers on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters after practice on Wednesday, Leonard was asked by one of the journalists if he had caught the Warriors vs. Lakers skirmish where the latter were routed 109-123 by the defending champions. Leonard had a plain answer saying he didn’t watch it. You can watch the clip below:
“I don’t watch basketball like that” 😂 (via @swishcultures_) pic.twitter.com/siMWKu4vvl
— Overtime (@overtime) October 19, 2022
“What did you see from the Lakers game last night?” To which Leonard replied, “I didn’t watch it.” When pressed further, he added: “I don’t watch basketball like that anyway, so. Whoever we play, I’ll see the film, but I pretty much will not watch the games on TV.”
The Clippers faced the Lakers thrice last season, winning all three encounters. With the likes of Leonard, Paul George, and John Wall set to take the court, they will fancy their chances against their archrivals.
Lakers Star Patrick Beverley Lavishes Praise Kawhi Leonard And Paul George
Former Clipper, now Laker Patrick Beverley, compared heavyweights Leonard and George to Batman and Robin. In his The Pat Bev Podcast, the guard lavished praise on the two players, especially for George, who was willing to take on a secondary role behind ‘The Klaw’.
The duo was a notable absentee for a major part of the season. Leonard hasn’t played a game in 14 months after suffering from a torn left ACL, and he made waves ahead of the new season after looking in great shape.
“Paul George today had a quote where he talked about saying that Kawhi is the first option and I’m the second option. I have no problem with that as far as that being the pecking order on the team. What does that take for a player to be able to say I don’t mind being Robin and he can be Batman?”
“I mean I just that just shows you the professionalism and the [will] to win from a Paul George standpoint. … That doesn’t mean like PG got game game. He might be the best mover with the ball in the league at his size.”
The Clippers didn’t exactly have a great preseason, losing two of their three games, but expect them to be locked in when they open their season against the Lakers, who, despite the recent flak, still have proven winners in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Both teams square off at the Crypto.Com Arena on Thursday (October 21).
