The Los Angeles Clippers are ensuring that Kawhi Leonard has no reason to go anywhere with its latest contract extension with the player.
The NBA team and Lawrence Frank, president of Basketball Operations for the Los Angeles Clippers, have announced that Leonard will stay with the team, agreeing to a three-year extension worth $153 million.
“We’re thrilled to continue our
relationship with Kawhi. He is an elite player, a terrific partner, and a relentless worker who knows how to win and makes it his first priority,” said Frank in a written statement. “He elevated our franchise from the moment he arrived. We feel fortunate that Kawhi chose to join the Clippers five years ago, and excited to keep building with him.”The forward was the No. 15 pick at the 2011 NBA Draft, where the San Antonio Spurs chose him after playing two years at San Diego State University. He won his first championship with the Spurs in 2014, winning the NBA Finals MVP (Most Valuable Player) Award. Several years later, he helped the Toronto Raptors win its first and only NBA championship
in 2019, again securing the NBA Finals MVP trophy. He left Toronto immediately after taking the title out of the United States to try to bring a title back to his home state of California, where he signed with the Clippers.He has career averages of 19.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals and is the third-winningest player in
NBA history with a winning percentage of .732 in the regular season with a record of 483-177. He is also one of only three players in NBA history who has won a Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year Award, and an All-Star Game MVP.RELATED CONTENT: NBC Adds Snoop Dogg To Summer Olympics Primetime Show