Lakers superfan Ice Cube had predicted in 2019 that Kawhi Leonard wouldn’t be able to change the Clippers’ fortunes.
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The LA Clippers find themselves in a predicament of sorts right now. They’ve lost 2 home games against Luka Doncic and co. Faced with the uphill task of winning at least 2 road games, Kawhi is facing the heat from all angles.
Will the Clippers be able to negotiate this impossibly tough task? And even if they do so, what is their true playoff ceiling this year? Their defensive limitations are becoming clearer with each possession. Their offence, meanwhile, simply can’t plug the holes their defense creates.
The Lakers, meanwhile, have been trending in the other direction with their robust defense across all positions. Both LeBron and AD take pride in holding their matchups to low point totals. This desire emanates positively across the roster. The Lakers are the league’s best defense once again this season.
All of this means that Kawhi is setting himself up for oodles of slander from all basketball fans. Some of them have dug up a take from 2 summers ago, when he spurned the Lakers in free agency.
Ice Cube seems to have jinxed Kawhi Leonard in 2019
Back in 2019, Ice Cube said the following about Leonard snubbing the Lakers in favor of Steve Ballmer’s Clippers:
“Kawhi was a winner and now he wants to be a loser. That’s all I could say. You know, he was a winner at Toronto. Now, you want to be a Clipper? You must wanna be a loser!’, cause they haven’t done anything in their whole career. So, I don’t think he’s the savior for the Clippers.”
Ice Cube predicted Kawhi’s future perfectly pic.twitter.com/dj3hM1jn14
— S (@YeaiSaiditt) May 26, 2021
The Lakers were reportedly one of the only 3 suitors whom Kawhi took under consideration as a free agent in 2019. Leonard eventually went with the Clippers because of how much they’d pursued him and how they offered to hand him the keys of the franchise.
The clinching point seemed to be that the Klaw would be able to return to his home state of California. However, turning down better situations in Toronto and the Lakers meant that he’d put the onus on himself to deliver postseason success to the Clippers.
Steve Ballmer came through for him by also landing Paul George via trade. This came at a heavy price for the franchise in the form of future draft capital.