NBA rookies getting burdened with tasks by their veterans is a tale as old as time. We have heard so many stories about these youngsters having to run around, and it turns out Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard had rookie Kobe Sanders scrambling at one point this season. Sanders appeared on Run It Back on FanDuel TV, where he spoke about Leonard giving him a task out of the blue with little time on his hands.
“The one that stands out to me is we was on the road,” Sanders said. “… We had a little practice day, and we’re going to leave, and Kawhi tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘I need some headphones.’ So, I had to find out how to get some headphones with only like 30 minutes left before we hit the bus.”
That certainly isn’t ideal. Co-host Michelle Beadle asked Sanders whether he managed to accomplish the task, and he did.
“Of course,” Sanders stated. “I got him two pairs.”
Great job right there. You’d like to think Leonard would have been impressed. If he wasn’t, he’d at least have liked what he has seen from Sanders on the court. The Clippers had acquired him in a draft-night deal after the New York Knicks selected him with the 50th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. You didn’t think he was going to have a significant role right away, but he has.
With Bradley Beal going down with a season-ending hip injury and Chris Paul being sent home, Sanders found himself in the rotation. The Clippers needed players who were going to play with a lot of energy and effort next to their older stars, and the 23-year-old does just that.
Sanders is now averaging 6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game in 2025-26. He has played his part in the Clippers going 15-3 after a woeful 6-21 start. They are now 10th in the West with a 21-24 record.
Kobe Sanders On His “Welcome To The NBA” Moment
Rookies usually get their “Welcome to the NBA” moment in the regular season, but Sanders got his at training camp. He was asked here if there was a moment when he got star-struck or just realized that this is the NBA.
“The first day at training camp, it was normal, I think,” Sanders stated. “Nothing too crazy, but the second unit kind of really got at our first unit, and the next day James [Harden] and Kawhi came in blazing, and I think they beat the second unit by probably 30 in about 15 minutes… I was like, ‘Oh, this is different.'”
That is brutal. The Clippers have hammered teams in this fashion during the season as well. They blew out the Brooklyn Nets 126-89 at the Intuit Dome on Sunday in their latest outing.
The Clippers take on the Utah Jazz next at the Delta Center on Tuesday at 10 PM ET, and that might end up being a beatdown as well.
