Kawhi Leonard isn’t the most vocal superstar, and sometimes that makes NBA fans think he’s very humble. Recent scandals and stories have proved that Leonard has an edge to him, though. And he thinks highly of his own game, too. Kawhi once apparently suggested that he had surpassed Kobe Bryant.
In 2019, Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to their only championship in franchise history. It was an unbelievable title run, and it established Kawhi as a bona fide superstar. And Fred VanVleet, his teammate at the time, recently revealed that Leonard’s own estimation of his achievement went higher than that.
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Fred VanVleet says Kawhi Leonard believed his 2019 finals fun put him ahead of Kobe
“It was a conversation being had and the sentiment of it was when we won the championship was like ‘I’m better than Kobe.”
(Via underground podcast) pic.twitter.com/kwDxaNbQU5
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) December 17, 2025
“Kawhi changed my view on a lot of s**t, but there was one thing in particular that I overheard,” VanVleet told Durant on the Underground Podcast. “He didn’t say it to me, I just overheard it. And it was a conversation that was being had, and the sentiment of that conversation…
“It was when we won the championship. It was like, ‘I’m better than Kobe,’” VanVleet recalled. “I started thinking to myself, I know how I feel about where I stand, because I’m on the court and I’m playing against some of these guys and your favorites.”
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Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard celebrates with the Larry O’Brien Trophy after defeating the Golden State Warriors. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
That year brought Kawhi his second Finals MVP, putting him on par with Bryant on that stat. However, he doesn’t have half the number of championships. And Kobe’s regular-season achievements put him in a different stratosphere than Leonard. Kawhi is an all-time great but better than Kobe might be a step too far.
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