Kawhi Leonard has consistently been one of the most hilarious characters in the entire NBA. Since coming into the league, his stoic nature and robotic movements have added to his charm and made him an entertaining part of the basketball ecosphere.
This season, fans did not get to see that side come out too often, as the Los Angeles Clippers were among the most disappointing teams in the league. However, that side has recently started to come out, and it was on full display when his squad got into a scuffle with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kawhi Leonard Steals the Show as the Clippers “Fight” Back
After going seven games in the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets last year, the Clippers’ 6-21 start to the season was legitimately shocking. Add in the drama surrounding Chris Paul, and it wasn’t a pretty sight in Los Angeles.
However, since then, the team has battled for every inch and now sits above .500, right in the thick of the playoff race. In the process, they’ve become the first team in NBA history to move above .500 after being 15 games under that mark in the same season.
Leonard has been front and center of it all, helping the team navigate a difficult stretch that included trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers.
Against the Timberwolves, too, he was in sublime form. Stuffing the stat sheet, he added 45 points on 15-of-20 shooting from the field while recording five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Somehow, though, his most viral moment came after the game.
Comfortably taking care of the Timberwolves, 153-128, LA emptied out the bench in the final moments, leading to Sean Pedulla scoring the first points of his NBA career as well. After the game, the two sides got into a skirmish as handshakes were being exchanged.
Clippers beat writer Joey Linn got an excellent angle of the exchange and wrote, “Scuffle breaks out after Clippers beat Timberwolves. It looked like Bennedict Mathurin was trying to retrieve the game ball. Sean Pedulla scored his first NBA points, which is likely why Mathurin was after the ball.”
However, the man of the evening had a different reaction altogether. As cameras zoomed in on him, Leonard could be seen politely acknowledging, “Hey, a fight.” The nonchalant nature of his outburst, if you could call it that, left everyone in stitches, as the moment quickly went viral on social media.
