Getty Kawhi Leonard and Kishele Shipley
Few NBA stars are as tight lipped about their personal lives as Kawhi Leonard. If it were up to the Los Angeles Clippers star, nobody would ever know that he’s been with his girlfriend Kishele Shipley for years, or that they allegedly welcomed a second child together.
“I’m a fun guy,” Kawhi said last year. “Obviously, I love the game of basketball. I mean, there are just more questions that you have to ask me in order for me to tell you about myself. I just can’t give you a whole spiel.”
However, with great talent comes great media attention, and his fans can’t help but wonder if he and Shipley have tied the knot. While neither of them have social media accounts to stalk, the NBA star’s sister Miesha Slayton runs his fan account, and occasionally posts photos featuring either her brother and rumored fiancée, but never together.
After the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship last year in June, Shipley, who largely stays out of the limelight, was featured in many of Slayton’s photos on Instagram.
https://heavy.com/sports/2019/01/kawhi-leonard-girlfriend-kishele-shipley/
In addition to ESPN referring to Shipley as Leonard’s fiancee in 2016, after she gave birth to their first child, more recently, Slayton has posted pictures with Shipley looking extremely comfortable around their mom, and most telling, calls her “family.”
So, did the 6’7 small forward secretly tie the knot with Leonard in the off-season? It’s hard to tell for sure since the couple remains extremely tight lipped about their private life. During the NBA Championship Parade in Toronto, Shipley and their daughter were seen traveling on the team’s float. And as their kid somehow napped throughout all the city’s cheers, Shipley posed for pictures with Leonard and rapper Drake, but she was not sporting a wedding band.
.@raptors @kawhileonard celebrates with Drake, his girlfriend Kishele Shipley and his mother Kim Leonoard to the deafening roars of #WeTheNorth #wethenorthday #toronto
However, it’s been six months since Leonard toured his former city as champion with the Raptors, and they might’ve secretly tied the knot before his season started with the Clippers, as privacy from the media spotlight is even more rare while living in Los Angeles. Shipley also has not been photographed publicly since Leonard starting playin for the Clippers, so if she’s rocking a ring on her left finger, nobody but their family would know.
Leonard Joined The Clippers Because He Wanted To Be Closer To Family
Kawhi Leonard
When Leonard moved from Toronto to Los Angeles, Shipley and their children moved, too. Leonard said he always leaned toward moving to southern California in order to be closer to family, and it was at San Diego State University where he first met Shipley. She received a degree in public administration, while Leonard joined the 2011 NBA Draft, and was selected 15th overall by the Antonio Spurs.
While speaking with Yahoo’s Chris Haynes, “I didn’t lead anyone on,” Leonard said. “I took my time in free agency, as I should, to make sure I made the best decision for myself and my family. Everybody knew where I wanted to play last year during the trade, and it was the Lakers or Clippers and wanting to come back home.”
On Christmas Day, Leonard and the Clippers will face off LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, and fans will be hoping to catch a glimpses of Shipley, cheering on her man at the game. The odds seem high since it’s a special holiday, and the match-up is local.
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