“Nobody Loves Playing More Than Me”: Kawhi Leonard Expresses His Love For Basketball After the Game Winner Against Hornets

After an 8 game absence, Kawhi Leonard again took the floor on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets and did exactly enough to avoid a third straight loss for his team.

Ty Lue’s men went down to wire with the 7-16 Hornets who were without the injured LaMelo Ball and needed a clutch jumper from The Klaw and he took it when he was 19 feet out from the basket with 2 seconds remaining in the game.

Leonard sure made it and took his team across the line with a 119-117 win. What he said after the game was also as good as his shot.

Also read: Giannis Antetokounmpo Talks About “Getting Freaky” For His Birthday and Shows Off a Stolen $45 Plushie

Nobody loves the game of basketball more than Kawhi Leonard

The number of games he has played since coming down to LA will not show it, but Leonard claims to have more love for the game than anyone else. In the post-game interviews in Charlotte, he elaborated that feeling quite better than he usually does.

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) December 6, 2022

You have got to feel that after hitting a game-winner like the good old days. But having his franchise invested so much in him and the team around him for the past 3-years, he will have to be available consistently and win games for them.

Currently, they stand sixth in the West with 14 wins in 25 games played. It wouldn’t take much time for any of the seven teams below them to catch up with each loss they suffer from now on.

Although Leonard’s absence doesn’t back up his love

Kawhi Leonard has got to pull his socks up and take care of his availability. Otherwise, it would be too late, and they would not even make it to the Playoffs like last season.

In the 251 games since he joined the Clippers, Kawhi has just played 115, which is 21 games less than the games he has missed (136).

When he takes the court, you can see how much he loves the game because he is seldom rusty despite all the absences. But the man has got to prove his love for the game with his presence.

Also read: Amid Kyrie Irving’s Nike Fallout, New York Records Abysmal $125% Increase In Antisemitic Hate Crimes

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

Read More