Kawhi Leonard has been on an absolute heater of late and drew praise from the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, on Friday after a battle between the Los Angeles franchises.
Speaking to reporters after the game, James called Leonard “one of the best players ever” amid past criticism regarding Leonard’s injury history.
“Kawhi’s awesome, man. He’s the best,” James said. “He’s one of the best players ever. And I can care less about the injuries. There’s things you can’t control. You can only control the controllables … That guy’s awesome.”
Since New Year’s Day, Leonard is averaging 27.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and four assists across 21 games.
Despite the Clippers‘ struggles, Leonard is enjoying one of the best stretches of his career and should be in All-NBA consideration.
LeBron Pays Compliment to Longtime Rival Kawhi Leonard
GettyLeBron James showered Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard with praise
James’ high praise for Leonard is far from an empty compliment.
Not only did the acclaim come from the all-time leading scorer, but James bypassed his storied past with Leonard to shower his longtime rival with praise.
Leonard and James famously battled in back-to-back Finals matchups in 2013 and 2014.
Back then, Leonard was a budding star for the San Antonio Spurs, while James was a perennial All-Star for the Miami Heat.
James and the Heat prevailed in 2013, defeating the Spurs in a tightly contested seven-game series.
One year later, Leonard fueled the Spurs to a vengeful Finals victory. Leonard averaged 17.8 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the floor.
Leonard’s two-way ability was on full display, as he played stellar defense on James, which gave rise to one of the best memes of the 2010s:
Kawhi Leonard Boasts Hall of Fame Resume
GettyKawhi Leonard should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer
As James noted, it’s not hyperbolic to consider Kawhi Leonard as one of the best players in league history.
He is an elite three-level scorer and a fearsome defender, especially at his peak.
Leonard is one of twelve players in NBA history with multiple Finals MVP awards (2014 and 2019) and is the most recent addition to that exclusive list.
Five years later, he stops a Warriors 3-peat and wins Finals MVP.
ABSOLUTE KILLER. 🗣
His second Finals MVP award was secured with the Toronto Raptors, with whom Leonard only played one season.
The soft-spoken superstar averaged 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in the 2019 Finals, securing the Raptors’ lone title victory while preventing a Golden State Warriors three-peat.
“Kawhi Leonard is, to me, amazing. I’ve never seen a basketball player who can miss that much time and don’t have any rust,” said Charles Barkley. “He is the most amazing player I’ve ever seen who can miss a year or two months and come back and be one of the five best players in the world.”
Leonard was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Through 14 seasons, Leonard has been selected to seven All-Defensive and All-Star teams. He led the league in steals in 2014 and was twice named Defensive Player of the Year.
The Clippers star hasn’t expressed a desire to retire any time soon, but whenever that day comes, a gold Hall of Fame jacket awaits.
LeBron James Praises Longtime Rival: “One of the Best Players Ever”