Kawhi Leonard on Sunday had no plans of adhering to daylight saving time. The Los Angeles Clippers star instead turned back the clock all the way to 2019 with his vintage game-winner against the Sacramento Kings.
The Clippers trailed the Kings 110-109 with 21.1 seconds left in overtime at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Leonard received the ball at the top of the key, drove against defender Keegan Murray, and shot a floater as all five Kings players collapsed on him.
Leonard’s shot bounced around the rim multiple times before falling into the basket as time expired.
KAWHI LEONARD WINS IT IN OVERTIME SURROUNDED BY ALL FIVE DEFENDERS 🚨#TissotBuzzerBeater#YourTimeDefinesYourGreatness pic.twitter.com/tJndzNYx1u
— NBA (@NBA) March 10, 2025
The usually stoic Leonard was uncharacteristically fired up after getting the shot to fall.
Fans could not help but recall Leonard’s iconic four-bounce shot to send the Toronto Raptors past the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Kawhi Raptors shot 2.0!!
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) March 10, 2025
Kawhi has to be investigated for these bounces on the rim dude
— Prez💊 ‘ (@PresidentEmbiid) March 10, 2025
Kawhi game winner bouncing around the rim in the monumental 2025 pic.twitter.com/Acmi22ukCL
— Gil Benhamou (@geebee418) March 10, 2025
Leonard is far removed from his 2019 Raptors championship run, when he looked like a god among men. The 33-year-old looked completely mortal for most of the night. The 6-time All-Star had just 15 points on 6/18 shooting before the game’s final possession.
But Leonard showed Sunday that he can still come up big when called upon.
