The Los Angeles Clippers will face off against the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors on Monday, marking Kawhi Leonard’s return to Canada for the first time since going back home to LA this offseason.
Though Leonard spent just one season as a Raptor, he undoubtedly left his mark on the city of Toronto by bringing a Larry O’Brien Trophy back to the six for the first time in franchise history. He led the Raptors on a remarkable postseason run that included a dramatic seven-game series against the Philadelphia 76ers, coming back from 0-2 against the Milwaukee Bucks to win the Eastern Conference, and pure domination of the Golden State Warriors in the Finals.
For as big of an impact as he made on Toronto, the city and the team both made an equally big impact on Leonard, according to Raptors beat writer Josh Lewenberg.
Kawhi on what he'll remember about his time in Toronto, outside of the championship: "The guys, the journey, also the country, the city, it was amazing. There's just so much you could keep going on and talking about it."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) November 9, 2019
Although Toronto was not his preferred trade destination, reports at that time stated his desire was to be traded from the Spurs to the Lakers, he “never went in with a negative mindset.” He always felt comfortable with the trade because of his previous time playing with Cory Joseph and he was confident in the front office with Masai Ujiri at the head of it.
Leonard told Lewenberg that he still feels the love from the Raptors fans he runs into and that he’s surprised by how many either live in the US or are visiting. They still go up to him and thank him for everything he did for the Raptors and for Canada.
He also said that he is treating the upcoming game against the Raptors like any other game but added, “It’s going to be fun to see the guys again and congratulate them and be able to shake hands and compete.”
Leonard also likes the state the Raptors are in right now, he told Lewenberg that he is happy that OG Anunoby now has a chance to play significant minutes in every game and is excited both for his development as well as that of Pascal Siakam, who is now the No. 1 option in the Raptors offense.
“[It’s] great for him. He’s going to learn and keep growing,” Leonard said about Siakam.
While Leonard took away a positive experience from his year in Toronto, he told Lewenberg that he is happy with his decision to go home and play for the Clippers.
“I’m able to see my family after the games — I’m in Southern California, beautiful weather, I’m at my house. So everything’s been good.”
