10 most interesting facts about Kawhi Leonard's NBA career

01/28/2025 11:45 AM

Kawhi Leonard is a polarizing player. However, he’s shown he is capable of leading teams to championships. Apart from two NBA titles and Finals MVPs, Leonard has also earned six All-Star Game appearances, six All-NBA Team selections, and a pair of NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards.

All of these accomplishments have helped Leonard amass a net worth of $120 million. Here is a look at the 10 most interesting facts about Kawhi Leonard’s NBA career.

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Same number of triple-doubles, NBA Finals MVPs, NBA titles in his career

While getting a triple-double in an NBA game is difficult, it is still much easier than winning championships. But for some reason, at one point, Leonard actually had more NBA championships and Finals MVPs to his name than his triple-double tally in his career. Currently, the two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP has registered two.

His first triple-double came in the 2019-2020 season against the Miami Heat, posting 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the five-point victory. Nearly four years later, Leonard tallied 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 127-116 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, both of which only came after he won both of his NBA championships.

Kawhi Leonard has more NBA titles & Finals MVPs than 50-point games

If the previous tally was surprising, think again. While Leonard has been known to take over games, The Klaw has also surprisingly never reached the half century mark in a single game.

It’s worth noting that Leonard’s career-high is set at 45 points, which was a tally he set back when the Raptors played the Utah Jazz for a 122-116 win on New Years’ Day 2019. The statistics also mean that Leonard actually has more NBA titles and Finals MVPs compared to 50-point games.

Kawhi Leonard was first NBA Finals MVP to leave his team after winning

More often than not, a player who succeeds with a team stays to win more. However, after leading the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship, Leonard decided to leave the franchise during the 2019 offseason. While it was evident that Leonard didn’t exactly want to play in Toronto, fans were hoping that the franchise’s first championship would’ve convinced him to stay.

Unfortunately, after winning his second NBA Finals MVP and NBA title, Leonard opted to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers. Since then, Leonard has yet to win a title in Los Angeles.

Kawhi Leonard was 1 of 3 players to win Finals MVP with different teams

While it’s getting more common to see NBA players win championships with different franchises, it’s rare to see a player lead different teams to the promised land. Throughout NBA history, there have been only three players to win NBA Finals MVP with different teams. The list includes Kawhi Leonard, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James.

Leonard won his first NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs while taking NBA Finals MVP honors in 2014. Five years later, he led the Toronto Raptors to the franchise’s first championship banner at the expense of the Warriors dynasty.

All Kawhi Leonard NBA championships were won with Danny Green

While Danny Green isn’t exactly a megastar, he does play well alongside elite superstars, including Leonard. As a two-way player, Green was a valuable asset for playoff contenders. In fact, Leonard won all of his titles and Finals MVPs with Green as a teammate, both in San Antonio and in Toronto. Curiously, Leonard hasn’t been able to win an NBA championship without Green.

Green recently announced his retirement during the 2024 offseason. With the three-time NBA champion hanging up his sneakers, it’s up to Leonard to find a way to break the Clippers curse without his favorite running mate.

Kawhi Leonard was fourth-youngest NBA Finals MVP

Back in the 2013-2014 season, Leonard established himself as a rising star for the Spurs. In the 2014 NBA Finals, Leonard surprised everyone by making LeBron James bleed for his points. Thanks to his efforts on both ends of the floor, the Spurs not only won an NBA championship but also saw Leonard win his first NBA Finals MVP.

At the time, Leonard was only 22 years old. He became the fourth-youngest NBA Finals MVP in league history. The only other players who were younger than Leonard that received the accolade were Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan. Johnson won it twice at younger ages than Leonard.

Kawhi Leonard has fifth-highest winning percentage in NBA history

Although Leonard has been criticized for his actions regarding load management, which has been a controversial issue in the NBA as of late, no one can deny that The Klaw is capable of winning especially when it matters the most. Based on a report by Basketball Reference, Leonard has a winning percentage of 72.7%, while playing at least 500 games.

The only other players that garnered a higher winning percentage are Basketball Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and K.C. Jones along with Michael Cooper. All four players ahead of Leonard played their entire careers for dynasties with the Lakers and Boston Celtics.

Kawhi Leonard traded on draft night

The Indiana Pacers are certainly kicking themselves for this one. During the 2011 NBA Draft, the Pacers drafted Leonard in the first round with the 15th-overall pick.

On the same night, Indiana sent Leonard, the rights to Erazem Lorbek and Davis Bertans to San Antonio in exchange for George Hill. Little did the Pacers know that they just gave away a future two-time NBA Finals MVP for a borderline starter. The Pacers are still in search of an NBA championship.

Kawhi Leonard has only played in 704 games across 13 seasons

Leonard is one of the main players who became notorious for load management. With the idea of load management, Leonard has often missed games of the regular season to keep himself fresh in time for the playoffs. In fact, the two-time NBA Finals MVP has only played in a total of 704 games across 13 seasons. This means that Leonard has missed a total of 346 games in his career.

Only player to win multiple Finals MVPs without winning NBA MVP

More often than not, a player who has won an NBA Finals MVP has won a regular-season NBA MVP. Some of the names in the modern era include Dwyane Wade, Andre Iguodala, Paul Pierce, Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, and Kawhi Leonard. But among those names, only Leonard has won multiple Finals MVPs without winning at least one NBA MVP in his career.

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