NBA: Why Spurs Fans Booed Kawhi Leonard?

Los Angeles Clippers' game on Wednesday, at the Frost Bank Centre, witnessed Kawhi Leonard being booed repeatedly.

Things became so bad that Gregg Popovich had to ask the audience to stop booing halfway through the game. Coach Pop snatched the announcer's mic as Leonard was making a pair of free throws.

“Excuse me for a second. Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play. Have a little class. That’s not who we are. Knock off the booing,” Popovich said.


Kawhi Leonard used to be an admired superstar for the San Antonio Spurs. Leonard won two Defensive Player of the Year awards during his seven seasons with the Texas Rangers.

Furthermore, the two-way sensation was selected Finals MVP after helping the squad win the 2014 championship. However, the same San Antonio crowd that once adored Kawhi now despises him.

But why do the Spurs fans hate Kawhi Leonard?

Since his departure from the Spurs in 2018, the San Antonio crowd has been hostile to him whenever he visits.

Kawhi Leonard only played in nine games for the 2017-2018 season due to a quad injury. The medical staff of the San Antonio Spurs cleared him to play considerably early. However, the multiple-time All-Star felt it was better to maintain his absence.

This squabble between the Spurs franchise and Kawhi heightened tensions between the two parties. Naturally, the front office was irritated and couldn't wait any longer for their top player to return to the lineup. Kawhi left the Texas team after learning that the organization was upset.

Despite Coach Pop's efforts to see Leonard in New York on June 14 2018, Leonard stated his wish to leave the team should be respected. After more than a month of negotiations, the Spurs agreed to trade Leonard to the Clippers.

Along with Kawhi, the Spurs let go of Danny Green. They received DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a couple round picks in return for those players.

FAQs:

Q1: Is Kawhi Leonard on the top 75 NBA players list?
A1: Yes. Kawhi Leonard is on the top 75 NBA player list.

Q2: What is the age of Kawhi Leonard?
A2: Kawhi Leonard is 32 years old.