The Los Angeles Clippers are in a new era. The 2024/25 season features many different looks for the Clippers including a very different roster and brand new arena.
Maybe you have been following the Clippers since the beginning, back in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves. Maybe you fell in love with the team in the 2010s behind the star power of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
Whether this is your first year or fifty-fourth year following the team, this “Meet The Clippers” series is set to introduce you to the 2024/25 Los Angeles Clippers in a whole new perspective.
For the next however many days, there will be an interaction with each member of the Clippers team to bring some familiarity to this new era.
There is no better place to start than the future Hall of Famer himself: Kawhi Leonard.
Kawhi Leonard Pre-NBA
Kawhi Leonard was born June 29th, 1991 in Los Angeles, California. The LA native would attend King in Riverside, California where he would be the number 56 recruit on the ESPN 100 rating and 48th in the RSCI rankings in the class of 2009.
Leonard ended up choosing San Diego State over schools like UCLA, Arizona, and USC.
Leonard spent two years at San Diego State where he played 70 total games for the Aztecs. Kawhi averaged 14.1 points, 10.2 total rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game during his time in San Diego.
Related: Los Angeles Clippers Finally Get Gorilla Off Their Back
San Diego State made the NCAA tournament both years Kawhi was on the team losing in the First Round his freshman year and losing in the Regional Semifinal his sophomore year. Kawhi would enter the NBA draft following his Sophomore year.
NBA History
Kawhi Leonard was drafted with the 15th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. This didn’t last long as the Pacers sent Kawhi, the 42nd pick (Davis Bertans), and Erazem Lorbek to the San Antonio Spurs for George Hill.
Kawhi spent 7 years with the Spurs and became an NBA superstar during his time there. Very early in his time with the Spurs, he lived behind the legacy of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu GinĂ³bili. It took until the 2013/14 season for the NBA world as a whole to discover the talent that was Kawhi Leonard.
Through his defensive prowess, Kawhi led the Spurs to win the NBA Championship over Lebron James and the Miami Heat. Kawhi received his first NBA Finals MVP award.
Kawhi spent 4 more years in San Antonio and had massive success. He won two Defensive Player of the Year Awards, and also received All-Rookie 1st Team, 2x All NBA 1st Team, 3 All-Defensive 1st Team, 1 All-Defensive 2nd Team honors, and two all-star game appearances.
This was however only the beginning of Kawhi’s success in the NBA.
In the summer of 2018, Kawhi Leonard was traded in a blockbuster deal involving himself and Danny Green being sent to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected 2019 first-round pick.
This trade sent shockwaves through the sports world as this would eventually lead to the Toronto Raptors winning the 2018/19 NBA Championship over the Golden State Warriors. Kawhi would win Finals MVP once again along with being awarded an all-star appearance and All NBA 2nd team honors.
The big storyline that next summer was if Kawhi was going to return home to Los Angeles or stay in Toronto to try and win another championship. Kawhi ultimately chose the Los Angeles Clippers as his home signing a four-year $176.27 million dollar contract.
Leonard has continued to play for the Clippers all but one year as he sat out the 2021/22 year because of injury.
While on the Clippers, Kawhi has earned 4 all-star appearances, 1 All NBA 1st Team honors, and 3 All NBA 2nd Team honors.
The Clippers have struggled in the playoffs during Kawhi’s tenure with the team, yet his time as a Clipper is widely seen as a success. Kawhi Leonard is still a part of the Los Angeles Clippers organization for the 2024/24 season.
Kawhi Leonard Now
What can we expect from Kawhi Leonard this season? The first thing we can hope for is that he recovers from his latest injury.
Kawhi is continuing to recover from a right knee injury that he sustained in the playoffs last season. He has somewhat struggled with injuries most of his NBA career and turned 33 in June of this year.
Even with the injury, the Clippers are expected to get Leonard back this season at some point. He offers a leadership that can rarely be found across the league. His defensive presence can shut down almost any NBA superstar.
Regardless of when he comes back, the Clippers will be joyful whenever he returns to the court.