Kawhi Leonard (left) greets Toronto Raptors legend Kyle Lowry who announced his retirement from the NBA.
Kawhi Leonard (left) greets Toronto Raptors legend Kyle Lowry who announced his retirement from the NBA.
The behind-the-scenes look at the Toronto Raptors, which has run since 2012, just dropped a special episode detailing Leonard’s return to Toronto and the vibes were far different compared to his initial 2018 arrival in town.
“The city took a liking to my family, I took a liking to the city, hopefully they embrace me back,” Leonard says this time around. “I’m going to give them my all again and hope we can make something special happen once again.”
Leonard, visiting the team’s training facility on an undisclosed day, seemed thrilled to see his No. 2 back on a Raptors jersey. It was ready for him to inspect in his new locker there, right beside fellow star forward Scottie Barnes, which was formerly where Brandon Ingram’s locker was located.
A smiling Leonard even dropped one of his infamous cackles while holding his jersey up for the camera.
It all seemed quite different from late-summer 2018, when nobody seemed quite sure Leonard would even happily report for duty having been traded from the San Antonio Spurs to Toronto following a dispute largely over his medical treatment and a season where he’d suited up only nine times.
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Some of the loudest American talking heads loved to trumpet at the time that he wouldn’t show, wasn’t happy, or some combination thereof.
Kawhi Leonard, centre, with team president Masai Ujiri (right) and general manager Bobby Webster in Toronto after being traded. RAPTORS tweet Photo by Raptors /Twitter
But Leonard did appear at the facility eventually and posed for a photo between then and current general manager Bobby Webster and former Raptors boss Masai Ujiri. While the photo did look a bit like a ‘proof of life’ hostage video to some degree, it eased the minds of Raptors supporters that Leonard was happy.
There’s no doubt about that this time around. In the episode, titled The Return, Webster is shown on the phone talking to Leonard fresh off completing the trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Webster admits to some nerves having spear-headed the superstar’s acquisition for the second time (he had done much of the heavy lifting in the original deal with the Spurs) and on the call welcomes Leonard and says: “Let’s get you your third chip (championship). You know what we’re about. Let’s go man.”
As the call ends, Webster tells fellow Raptors VP Keith Boyarsky: “The man himself. Board Man gets paid,” a reference to one of Leonard’s nicknames and a former ad campaign around him.
There is also footage of Leonard getting off a private plane, arriving and meeting head coach Darko Rajakovic, and discussing his appreciation for how good the team was last year and his desire to help take them to the next level.
He made it clear the Raptors are not his team, he just wants to help. Barnes is the man, Kawhi just wants to help him and the rest of the Raptors get even. better.
“I’m not here to take over anything, I want to help your vision, help Scottie, I just want to win,” Leonard said. “It’s Scottie’s team. I just want to do whatever it takes to help you guys win.”
Why he wanted to come back
Leonard details how his son, who was born in Toronto during the 2018-19 season which culminated with the championship, was always asking his parents about the city and when they could go visit.
“So you know, now he’s back and he’s able to see it, rather than me telling him the great stories that happened,” he said.
Leonard added while he didn’t want to go “championship chasing” in choosing his next team, perhaps meaning he didn’t want to just join a super-team, he did want to head to a contender and believes the Raptors will be in the mix.
It’s a small world
Rajakovic blew Leonard’s mind a bit when he told a story about actually being in the war room when the Spurs traded for Leonard on draft night in 2011. A bit before Rajakovic had become the first European-born head coach in the NBA G League with Oklahoma City, he had done some work with the Spurs as an international scout.
“That’s crazy,” Leonard said after being told the story.
“He’s as excited as I am having him back with us,” Rajakovic said. “He’s ready to work, he wants to be kept accountable.”
New on the Raptors roster Kawhi Leonard during a press conference at the Toronto Raptors media day at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ont. on Monday September 24, 2018. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk /Toronto Sun/Postmedia
“I’m competitive, I think we’ve got a great chance. This group played great last year, I watched them a lot, I’m going to watch more film to see how I can help … Scottie is going to be a problem this next coming year and I love the young guy, CMB (Collin Murray-Boyles). He brings a lot of energy to the team. Shows relentlessness on the court, not scared of anybody. Shead’s good, a pit bull, look like he just wants to win every game,” Leonard said shouting out a few of his new teammates. “I think we got a good chance and you never know what can happen.”
We found that out last time.
“The city always gave me love and showed support. I gave the city everything. I was coming in that year injured and I just gave it my all,” Leonard said.