Kawhi Leonard shocked the basketball world last month almost a week into free agency as he revealed that he’d be taking his talents to the hometown Clippers instead of the Lakers and the Raptors. Leonard had just won his second NBA title with his second different team with Toronto but ultimately chose the underdog in the sweepstakes for his services.
Clippers Head Coach Doc Rivers is now speaking out about how Los Angeles was able to get arguably the best player in the league right now. He flat out said “winning and basketball” were the key factors along with Rivers’ head coaching experience which dates back to being with the Orlando Magic and working with stars such as Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.
“All the other stuff that people think matters in the recruitment, I don’t think Kawhi wanted to talk about that, so I didn’t. I talked about winning and basketball. Kawhi is a serious man, and I think you felt that with him. I think he felt the seriousness of me and how serious I am about winning, and he felt good about that match. I guess the difference this time is I knew the league more. I knew me more. I had a body of work. The time with Tim and Grant and Tracy, I’d coached one year. I really didn’t have a body of work, so I think my body of work played in my favor this time.”
The Clippers are viewed by many now as an NBA Finals favorite as they now have key talent such as Leonard, Paul George, Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams, and Patrick Beverly. The rivalry with the Lakers should also be the best its been in years now as well.
Flip the page for the Clippers’ introductory press conference for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.