Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi wins NBA Finalshttps://usa.chinadaily.comHard working, determined, humbled, and selfless. A man who is seen as one of the best  in the NBA, and one who never gives up. Who is this Kawhi Leonard? Kawhi’s childhood was not an easy one. From early tragedies to missing tryouts because he couldn’t get a ride to them, Kawhi has had one to remember. Leonard was born on June 29th, 1991, in Riverside, California, and lived with his mom, Kim Robertson, who was divorced from his dad, Mark Leonard. The time Kawhi could spend with his dad was limited, but it was usually at the car wash he owned. Kawhi mainly played football and basketball growing up. He seemed good at both, but later choose to focus only on basketball. In his freshman year, he didn’t make the basketball team because he couldn’t get a ride to tryouts. Later in high school, he transferred to Martin Luther King High School in Riverside. There he got noticed by more colleges and eventually decided to play for San Diego State. He led the Aztecs to the Sweet 16 and became ranked as  high as fourth  in the country. After a great couple of years at San Diego State, he decided to go into the draft. He was selected by the Pacers with the 15th pick but later that evening was traded to San Antonio Spurs. In his career with the Spurs, he lead them to a national championship. where he got defensive player of the year along with winning the NBA finals and earning MVP.  A hero is someone who is humble, selfless and hard-working. Being selfless means thinking of others first or doing something for others to help everyone out, not just you. Humbleness means not bragging, trash talking, or disrespecting others. Being hard-working means to always put effort into everything you do. Kawhi Leonard possesses the traits of humbleness, selflessness and hard-working, proving he is a hero.

Kawhi in High Schoolhttps://aminoapps.comKawhi’s hard work, which he put in every day, was noticed by people everywhere, even at a young age. “The hours after school were spent hustling back and forth among three gyms—the Orange Terrace Park Community Center, an LA Fitness club and UC Riverside—running drills on any open court and playing as long as the lights stayed on. He was a naturally ferocious rebounder and defender, so Leonard worked to add layers to his offensive game. "From Day One he was driven to be great," says former King coach, Tim Sweeney. "He already had all the intangibles. He didn't have to score to help us win games. But he worked as hard as any player who came through here” (Mannix 2). Kawhi was not only recognized by coaches and players, his hard work helped him gain fans.  And later down the road when they won the NBA finals and he got finals MVP, he inspired many young kids to realize that anyone can go anywhere if you put in the work. This hard work shows heroism because of the people he inspires in our society to do good things. Think about it.  If everyone was that hard working, how much more successful could we be? Another reason Kawhi is seen as a hard worker is when he was in the NBA. “But if those around Leonard are short on stories of revelry (in fact, he jetted out of New Orleans to make a 6:15 a.m. workout the next day in San Diego), they can’t stop talking about the dedication and mindset that have allowed him to steadily grow and blossom through each of his six NBA seasons—from trade fodder to rotation player to starter, All-Star and MVP candidate”(Abrams 3). Kawhi was even recognized as a hard worker by NBA players and coaches. To get respect on that level really shows something. Hard work can lead you places, you just have to stick with it. Once he made it to the NBA, once again, young kids were inspired by his work, and they wanted to be like him.  It’s hard to believe that one man could actually help revolutionize basketball. As you can see, his hard work proved to inspire and motivate the younger generation to try to become like him.

Leonard with the dunkhttps://www.mysanantonio.comAnother way he can be seen as a hero is because he is humbled. Kawhi doesn’t always want all of the attention, sometimes he finds better ways to spend his time. “Leonard's reticence didn't begin when he joined the Spurs. He comes by it naturally. He's the kid who shuttered himself in his room on his birthdays because he didn't want the attention. He's the teenager who, while at San Diego State, brought two lamps from home for his early-morning workouts because the school wouldn't turn on the lights. He's the small forward who spent the night of the 2012 draft at the Spurs practice facility. Why is that relevant? Because the draft that year was held on June 28. Leonard's birthday—his 21st—was June 29. On a night most spend playing beer pong and swilling tequila, Leonard was polishing his midrange game. "He never wants to be in the limelight," Popovich says. "He's like Timmy: All he is worried about is getting better"(Mannix 4). Kawhi is seen as the guy who doesn’t always want all of the attention. He wants to get better, he wants to work harder, even if he has the spotlight. He can be seen as a hero from this because of his difference from everyone else. Try to think of someone in the NBA or any professional league besides him that doesn’t want all of the attention. Along with his work ethic outside of the spotlight, he is also one of the most quiet players you will see. “Leonard is notoriously quiet and to himself. He knows everything that’s going on,” Lea, his AAU coach, says. “Once you get him in that front seat of your car and you get him alone, he'll ask you the questions he needs to ask you. He's quiet, just watching, just looking at everything, but his teammates and people like to be around him” (Abrams 5). Once again, a quiet player. One who is humbled and one without any social media. No need to brag or boast when he is at his level, and he just beats out other guys. Kawhi is a new inspiration for kids. Kids can learn not to trash talk others and to just finish the job without saying a word about really anything. Being humbled isn’t something many basketball players can say. To have that edge on everyone can help yourself and your game and can later pass on to revolutionize the game of basketball.

Leonard blocks Lebron Jameshttps://www.pinterest.comAnother way he can be seen as a hero is because he is humbled. Kawhi doesn’t always want all of the attention, sometimes he finds better ways to spend his time. “Leonard's reticence didn't begin when he joined the Spurs. He comes by it naturally. He's the kid who shuttered himself in his room on his birthdays because he didn't want the attention. He's the teenager who, while at San Diego State, brought two lamps from home for his early-morning workouts because the school wouldn't turn on the lights. He's the small forward who spent the night of the 2012 draft at the Spurs practice facility. Why is that relevant? Because the draft that year was held on June 28. Leonard's birthday—his 21st—was June 29. On a night most spend playing beer pong and swilling tequila, Leonard was polishing his midrange game. "He never wants to be in the limelight," Popovich says. "He's like Timmy: All he is worried about is getting better"(Mannix 4). Kawhi is seen as the guy who doesn’t always want all of the attention. He wants to get better, he wants to work harder, even if he has the spotlight. He can be seen as a hero from this because of his difference from everyone else. Try to think of someone in the NBA or any professional league besides him that doesn’t want all of the attention. Along with his work ethic outside of the spotlight, he is also one of the most quiet players you will see. “Leonard is notoriously quiet and to himself. He knows everything that’s going on,” Lea, his AAU coach, says. “Once you get him in that front seat of your car and you get him alone, he'll ask you the questions he needs to ask you. He's quiet, just watching, just looking at everything, but his teammates and people like to be around him” (Abrams 5). Once again, a quiet player. One who is humbled and one without any social media. No need to brag or boast when he is at his level, and he just beats out other guys. Kawhi is a new inspiration for kids. Kids can learn not to trash talk others and to just finish the job without saying a word about really anything. Being humbled isn’t something many basketball players can say. To have that edge on everyone can help yourself and your game and can later pass on to revolutionize the game of basketball.

Works Cited

Abrams, Jonathan. “The Making of Kawhi Leonard, the Silent Superstar.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 12 June 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/2700300-the-making-of-kawhi-leonard-the-silent-superstar.

Ananth Pandian @ananth_pandian . “Kawhi Leonard Wants to 'One Day' Win More Championships than Duncan.” CBSSports.com, 1 Nov. 2015, www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kawhi-leonard-wants-to-one-day-win-more-championships-than-duncan/.

"Kawhi Leonard." Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 122, Gale, 2015. Biography in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1606006758/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=c779d814. Accessed 2 Feb. 201

Kawhi Leonard." Gale Biography in Context, Gale, 2014. Biography in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1650009366/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=e9eb0073. Accessed 2 Feb. 2018.         

Mannix, Chris. "Need He Say More?." Sports Illustrated, vol. 121, no. 16, 27 Oct. 2014, pp. 52-56. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=99041562&site=ehost-live.