Kawhi Leonard responded on Sunday to some shade from his former head coach.
Gregg Popovich said Saturday that Leonard was not a leader when he was a part of the San Antonio Spurs.
Gregg Popovich was asked about Patty Mills' role as a leader this season, given the offseason losses of longtime Spurs like Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. His answer: pic.twitter.com/NQRAZfeX9t
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) November 25, 2018
“Kawhi was a great player, but he wasn’t a leader,” Pop said of Leonard, who played seven seasons with the Spurs.
Leonard is now with the Toronto Raptors after forcing a trade. He had 29 points and 10 rebounds in the Raptors’ win on Sunday that made them 17-4. Leonard called Pop’s comments “funny” and said the coach may have been talking about last season, when Leonard only played in nine games.
Kawhi on Pop's comments: "It's just funny to me. I don't know if he's talking about last year or not. I guess when you stop playing they forget how you lead… It doesn't matter. I'm here with the Raptors and I'm focused on the season and not what's going on on the other side." https://t.co/rhbJZL7tvA
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) November 26, 2018
Whether or not Popovich was talking about last season, when Leonard missed most of the games due to injury, the comments have to sting Leonard. He probably can still be happy though that he’s in a better place with a team atop the Eastern Conference standings.
