The boos that Kawhi Leonard will surely hear when he returns to face the San Antonio Spurs for the first time may have just gotten even louder.
In an appearance Monday on ESPN’s “The Jump,” retired Spurs legend David Robinson gave some thoughts on Leonard’s situation and revealed that the former Defensive Player of the Year ghosted him in his efforts to reach out.
“It’s one of the oddest situations I think I’ve seen since I’ve been in pro basketball,” said Robinson, now 52. “He’s a hard guy to understand, a hard guy to read. San Antonio, we obviously have a reputation for taking care of our players, almost too much, people criticize us for sitting guys down. Now all of a sudden we’ve got a guy who says he felt pressure to play, which is tough.
“He’s a hard guy, he’s just quiet,” he went on. “I’ve reached out to him several times and just never hear anything back from him. I think the whole time he’s been here, I’ve talked to him maybe a handful of times, and I can count on one hand how many words he’s really said to me. He’s just a quiet guy, and I think that’s made it difficult for all parties to understand each other in this process.”
Robinson, who did add that he was able to speak to Leonard’s uncle, is one of the greatest and most beloved Spurs of all-time. He spent his entire 14-year NBA career in San Antonio and won two championships with them.
While the saga has finally ended and Leonard is now a Toronto Raptor, it’s clear that there’s a bit of frost from the Spurs’ end. Leaving The Admiral on read can’t have helped matters either.
