LeBron James Gives Epic Response On Why Kawhi Choose The Clippers Over The Lakers

LeBron James doesn’t like to talk about the moves other players make. In a conversation with media members at the beginning of the 2019 season, LeBron was asked about the reasons Kawhi Leonard had to choose the Los Angeles Clippers.

“How the hell can I answer that? I don’t f***in know! I don’t know. I don’t know. Ask Kawhi! I’m happy though!” LeBron said.

So, what made Kawhi sign with the Clippers?

“They played with a lot of confidence and they knew they could play,” Leonard said of the six-game series. “They wanted to guard everybody on the team at that point. That helped out (my decision).” 

“The fight we showed in that series absolutely helped in recruiting Paul and Kawhi,” Doc Rivers said. “They saw the grit of the team and seriousness of it. What player wouldn’t want to join that?”

Said guard Patrick Beverley said, “It comes with the character of the team. Of course, Doc is a psycho genius with all of his plays. But that’s the dynamic of our team.”

They are right. Leonard wanted to create his own brand. Choosing the Lakers would put him in the shadow of LeBron James and his popularity. Kawhi doesn’t want any of that.

He finished with 21 points while shooting 9-of-17 from the field. He also had nine assists and six rebounds in 21 minutes. Two days after Kawhi scored 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting in the Clippers’ season-opening win over the Lakers, the Warriors doubled Leonard and dared him to become a playmaker. That’s what he did.

The Clippers’ Lou Williams (22 points), Patrick Patterson (20), Montrezl Harrell (18), Ivica Zubac (16 points, 10 rebounds), and Landry Shamet (11 points) also had double figures. As Rivers said, “that shows the trust he has in his teammates.”

Rivers has words of praise for his star player.

“[Kawhi] was absolutely wonderful. He can score, but he does so many other things. He made so many smart defensive plays, switches, challenges, and deflections. He really made some great passes today as well. His ability to make others better has over the last couple of years has really jumped up. That’s going to help us in the long run. Kawhi is one of those guys who carries onto the practice floor. There’s very few guys who could affect a practice with their temperament.”

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