Kawhi Anthony Leonard (born June 29, 1991) is a professional American basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). She plays two college basketball seasons for the Aztecs of the State of San Diego, and is the second team of All-American consensus as a second year student. Elected by selecting the 15th overall in the 2011 NBA draft, he was named the First NBA All-Rookie Team in his first season with San Antonio. Leonard won the NBA championship with Spurs in 2014, when he was also named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player of the Year. He is a NBA Double-Defender Player of the Year, who won in 2015 and 2016, and is a member of the All-NBA Double Team (2016 and 2017).
Video Kawhi Leonard
High school career
Leonard attended Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, California, before moving to Martin Luther King High School in his first year. In Leonard's senior year, he and Tony Snell lead the High Wolves King to a 30-3 record. Leonard averaged 22.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.0 blocks per game that year and won California. Basketball.
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Leonard is listed as the No. 8 forward number and No. player. 48 in the country in 2009.
Maps Kawhi Leonard
College career
New season (2009-2010)
As a freshman at San Diego State University, Leonard averaged 12.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game for the Aztecs. He helped lead the Aztec to a 25-9 record and the title of the Western Conference (MWC) tournament. SDSU received an automatic offer to the NCAA Tournament but lost to Tennessee 62-59 in the first half, with Leonard notching 12 points and 10 rebounds. He led MWC in rebound and was named MWC first year, first team All-MWC, and MVP MVC MWC 2010.
Season sophomore (2010-2011)
In Leonard's sophomore season, he averaged 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds when the Aztec ended with a 34-3 record and won the back-to-back conference tournament tournament. Leonard and San Diego State will once again make the NCAA tournament. This time, SDSU will advance to Sweet 16 where they lost to UConn national champion. Leonard was appointed Second Team All-America and will forget his last two seasons at San Diego State to enter the 2011 NBA draft.
College statistics
Awards and academy awards
- The second consensus team of All-American (2011)
- Third Team NABC All-American (2011)
- 2ÃÆ'â € "First Team Mountain-West (2010-2011)
- 2ÃÆ'â € "All-Tournament Team All-Mountain West (2010-2011)
- The All-Mountain West Defense Team (2011)
- Mountain West Tournament MVP (2010)
- Mountain West Freshman of the Year (2010)
Professional career
San Antonio Spurs (2011-present)
Season 2011-12: Year Rookie
Leonard was elected by picking overall 15th in the 2011 NBA draft by Indiana Pacers but traded that evening to the San Antonio Spurs along with rights to Erazem Lorbek and Davis Bertans in exchange for George Hill. On December 10, 2011, after closing the NBA lockout, he signed a multi-year contract with Spurs.
Leonard and teammate Tiago Splitter were selected to play in 2012 New Star Challenge as a member of Team Chuck. Although he is fit for the event, he does not play due to a calf injury. After starter Richard Jefferson traded to the Golden State Warriors for Stephen Jackson, Leonard was promoted to a small starting position forward while Jackson served as his reserve.
At the end of the season, Leonard was fourth in the Rookie of the Year selection and was named for the First Team of the NBA All-Rookie 2012.
In the summer of 2012, Leonard is among the few new players selected to play for the US Men's Basketball Team in 2012. They are training with the Olympic team featuring Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and others.
2012-13 season: First Final Appearance
On October 26, 2012, Spurs run team options at Leonard, re-contracting through the 2013-14 season.
Leonard was chosen to play for the BBV Rising Stars Challenge where he was once again recruited into Team Chuck. He clocked 20 points and 7 rebounds as Tim Chuck beat Team Shaq for the second consecutive 163-135.
San Antonio Spurs advanced to the NBA Finals where they face the Miami Heat. Leonard averaged 14.6 points and 11.1 rebounds during the Final when the Spurs lost the series in seven games.
2013-14 Season: NBA Championship and Final MVP
On April 6, 2014, Leonard scored a season-high 26 points in a 112-92 Spurs victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. He finished the season averaging 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals while shooting 52.2% of the field. Leonard helped Spurs to a 62-20 record - the first seed in the NBA - and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the first time.
The Spurs and Miami Heat meet once again in the NBA finals. On June 10, 2014, in Game 3 of the series, Leonard scored a career-high 29 points in a 111-92 win. San Antonio then won the series 4-1. Leonard averaged 17.8 points at 61% shooting and was named NBA Finals MVP. He was the third youngest award-winning player (22 years and 351 days), behind only Magic Johnson - who won in 1980 (20 years and 278 days) and 1982 (22 years and 298 days). Leonard is also only the sixth player, and the first since Chauncey Billups in 2004, to win the MVP Final in a season where they are not All-Star.
season 2014-15: Best Defending Player of the Year
Having missed the last six pre-season games and the season opener against the Dallas Mavericks due to an infection in his right eye caused by conjunctivitis, Leonard made his season debut against the Phoenix Suns on 31 October despite still suffering from blurred vision. He continued playing through blurred vision and on November 10, 2014, he scored a season-high 26 points in an 89-85 Spurs win over the Los Angeles Clippers. After three matches on the sidelines between December 17 and December 20, Leonard received an injection in his injured right hand on December 22 and was ruled out indefinitely. He returned to action on January 16, 2015 after missing 15 games, scoring 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals to lead the Spurs to a 110-96 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
On April 5, Leonard scored 26 points and 7 career highs in a 107-92 victory over the Golden State Warriors. On April 23, Leonard was crowned the NBA's Best Defensive Player of the Year, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only player to win the NBA's Best Defensive Player of the Year and the NBA Finals MVP. The next day, he scored the highest 32 points in the playoffs in the first round of 3-game playoffs over the Los Angeles Clippers. Spurs went on to lose the series in seven games.
Seasons 2015-16: First Choice All-Star
On July 16, 2015, Leonard again signed a contract with Spurs on a five-year, $ 90 million contract. On October 28, he scored 32 points in career highs during the 112-106 season opening in Oklahoma City Thunder. On December 3, he scored 27 points and made seven top three shots in a 103-83 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. On January 21, 2016, he was appointed as the starter for the Western Conference team for the 2016 All-Star Game, earning his first All-Star option and becoming the sixth Spurs player in franchise history to be selected as an All-Star starter, joining George Gervin, Larry Kenon, Alvin Robertson, David Robinson, and Tim Duncan.
On March 23, 2016, Leonard had 32 points in a 112-88 win over the Miami Heat, helping Spurs extend their franchise winning streak to 45 matches (dating to the 2014-15 season). On April 2, he set a new career high with 33 points in a 102-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors, helping Spurs set a franchise record with their 64th win. Spurs topped their 63-win season in 2005-06 and extended their NBA winning streak to start the season to 39 matches. Leonard helped Spurs finish second in the Western Conference with a record of 67-15, and won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the second year in a row, becoming the first non-center to gain honor in the back-to-back season since Dennis Rodman on 1989-90 and 1990-91. In addition, he became runner-up in the MVP vote behind Stephen Curry.
In Game 3 of the Spurs first-round playoff series with the Memphis Grizzlies, Leonard helped Spurs up 3-0 with a 32-point performance, tying his high playoff career. After sweeping the Grizzlies, Spurs moved to face Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half. In Game 3 of the series against Thunder, Leonard helped Spurs go 2-1 with 31 points and 11 rebounds. However, Spurs went on to lose the next three games, bending out of the playoffs with a 4-2 defeat.
Season 2016-17: First Team Second Choice All-NBA
In the Spurs' season opener on October 25, 2016, Leonard recorded a career-high 35 points and five steals in a 129-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Two days later, he clocked 30 points and five steals in a 102-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings, becoming the first player to have 65 points and 10 steals in his first two games of the season since 1979. On December 6 he scored 31 points to help The Spurs improved to 13-0 on the road with a 105-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. On 14 January 2017, he set a new career high with 38 points in a 108-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns, becoming the first Spur to record three consecutive 30-point matches since Tony Parker in 2012. Leonard's performance is listed as being the -11 This 30-point game of the season, the most widely performed by Spurs players through its first 40 games of the season since 1995-96, when David Robinson collected 13 30-point outings. Three days later, he scored 34 points against Timberwolves for his 30-point consecutive fourth game. He became the first San Antonio player to score 950 points in the first half of the season since Tim Duncan in 2003. On January 19, he was named as a starter for the Western All-Star team in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game and has 34 points against the Denver Nuggets for his 30th consecutive appearance. Two days later, he set a new career high with 41 points in an 118-115 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming the first San Antonio player to have scored at least 30 in six consecutive games since Mike Mitchell in 1986. He later became a Western Player of the Conference Sunday for the match played Monday, January 16th to Sunday, January 22nd.
On 13 February 2017, Leonard made 13 of 23 shots including two three-pointers and finished with 32 points, six rebounds and four steals in a 110-106 win over the Indiana Pacers. This is his fifth successive 30-point game. With their 42nd win of the season against the Pacers, Spurs extend their winning streak to a league record of 20. On March 6, 2017, he was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the match played Monday, February 27th until Sunday, March 5th. Leonard led the Spurs into a 3-0 weekend behind an average of 32.0 points (second in the West), 9.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 4 best league wicket. Hours after being named Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career, Leonard scored 39 points to lead the Spurs to a 112-110 win over the Houston Rockets. It was 91 straight games in double figures, which equaled San Antonio's longest record since Tim Duncan did it in 2002-03.
On April 15, 2017, Leonard equalized his high post with 32 points in a 111-82 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Two days later, in Game 2, Leonard had a high-career postseason of 37 points and added 11 rebounds in a 96-82 victory over Memphis for a 2-0 lead. In Game 4 of the series in Memphis, Leonard has another best personal postseason with 43 points in a whopping 110-108 overtime; losses tied the series at 2-2. Behind the 29-point effort from Leonard in Game 6, Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by beating Memphis 103-96 to take the 4-2 series. Spurs went on to advance to the Western Conference Finals with a 4-2 win over the Houston Rockets in the second half, despite playing without Leonard in Game 6 due to an ankle injury. In the third quarter of the Game 1 Western Finals, against the Golden State Warriors, Leonard landed on Zaza Pachulia's leg after attempting to score on the pitch and aggravating his already existing ankle injury. He came out of the game with 26 points and sat the rest of the series as Spurs lost to the Warriors in four games. Leonard finished the season with an average of 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game in the regular season, and 27.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1, 7 stays for the playoffs. He was then elected to the All-NBA Main Team for the second time in his career, and earned the First Defensive First Team award for the third time in three years.
season 2017-18: Injury-hit season
Leonard missed his first 27 games of the season with a right quadriceps injury, making his season debut on December 12, 2017, with minute limits against the Dallas Mavericks. He made his first three shots and scored six of Spurs' first eight points. In 16 minutes, he has 13 points, six rebounds, one assists and one block. He left the game in the third quarter and Spurs lost 95-89. On December 26, 2017, just in his fifth game of the season, Leonard scored a season-high 21 points on 8-of-17 shots in a 109-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets. On 2 January 2018, he set a new season high with 25 points in a 100-91 win over the New York Knicks. Three days later, in a match against the Phoenix Suns, Leonard had a partial tear on his left shoulder. He returned to action on 13 January after missing three games and scoring 19 points in a 112-80 win over the Denver Nuggets. However, four days later, he was ruled out for an indefinite period to continue the rehabilitation process of the right quadriceps tendonopathy. Leonard was later released to be played by the Spurs medical staff, but he requested a second opinion from his own doctor, and spent the All-Star break in the New York area consulting specialists and undergoing further rehabilitation. Spurs held a special meeting of players asking Leonard to play in March 2018, described as "tense and emotional". Leonard did not return to the team before the 2018 playoffs against the Golden State Warriors.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
Personal life
Leonard is the son of Mark Leonard and Kim Robertson. She is the youngest child of the family and has four sisters. His father, Mark, was shot and killed on January 18, 2008, in his Compton car wash. By 2014, the killer is still missing, and the family has stopped asking the authorities for updates. Leonard is a cousin of Stevie Johnson, a wide recipient of American football.
Leonard's girlfriend, Kishele Shipley, gave birth to their first child in July 2016.
See also
- Portal National Basketball Association
References
External links
- Career and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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