Video of Chris Paul bumping Kawhi Leonard after Game 2 goes viral
Is the LA Clippers-Phoenix Suns series starting to get personal?
The Suns got a Game 2 win over the Clippers at home on Tuesday to even their first-round matchup at one game apiece. After the final buzzer, the national TV broadcast on TNT caught Suns guard Chris Paul walking past Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard on the way back to their respective locker rooms. Paul bumped into Leonard, and no eye contact appeared to be made between the two players as they kept on walking.
Here is the video.
Probably nothing, but interesting moment postgame pic.twitter.com/NYvORUniLT
— Jack (@Jackclippers) April 19, 2023
The moment drew so much attention online that TNT’s Chris Haynes gave some context about the bump on Wednesday. Haynes, saying he personally witnessed the encounter, tweeted that Paul and Leonard were giving each other friendly pats there. Haynes further called the bump “accidental” and said that the two stars were “good.”
I personally witnessed this “exchange” up close. Chris Paul gave Kawhi Leonard a pat on the midsection and Leonard slapped Paul’s leg. The bump was accidental. Those two are good. pic.twitter.com/Zsz2ezaZlA
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 19, 2023
Paul and Leonard have been physical with one another throughout the first two games of the series (with other clips emerging of some seemingly extra on-court moments between the two).
Chris Paul what is this pic.twitter.com/PNQy0peMbx
— Jamal Cristopher (@JamCristopher) April 19, 2023
Paul is a former Clipper and has since had a bit of a rivalry against them after also facing the Clippers in the 2021 Western Conference Finals (though Leonard was injured for that series). That said, it does not appear that there is any bad blood between the two veterans. In fact, Paul was probably in a great mood after the game as he managed to break a longstanding curse.
