Paul George Tells Hilarious Kawhi Leonard Air Ball Story From Clippers Practice

Basketball's most famous stoic has a lighter side.

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard may be as well-known for his stoic demeanor on the court as for his litany of hoops achievements—a résumé that includes two NBA Finals MVP awards and five All-Star appearances.

However, once in a while an anecdote will slip out of Los Angeles that paints Leonard in a humorous light. One such story made it on to a recent episode of Clippers forward Paul George's podcast, Podcast P with Paul George; George was joined for Monday's episode by guard Terance Mann.

Asked who on Los Angeles provided the most jokes, Mann quickly singled out Leonard, leading George to recall a hilarious practice moment.

“When you air ball in practice, you gotta stop play, you gotta drop the ball, run down and back,” George said. “’Nobody’s above the law,’ that’s [assistant coach Brian Shaw’s] saying.”

One day, per George, Leonard challenged this policy.

The suspense when Kawhi airballs at practice 😳😭

The "Clippers Special" episode is PREMIERING NOW: https://t.co/iHSIZ9tMt7 pic.twitter.com/K9AprdYyYL

— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) July 31, 2023

“Finally, Kawhi’s like, ‘I’m not running,’” George continued, mimicking Leonard’s monotone mode of speaking. “Shaw’s like, ’Nobody’s above the law.’ [Kawhi’s] like, ‘It’s basketball. I’mma air ball again. You not about to coach or teach me that air-balling is not good. It’s part of the game.

“And then 20 minutes later, somebody else air balls. And Kawhi’s like, ‘See?’” Mann added.

Much has been made of the fact the Clippers have yet to win a conference title since bringing in Leonard and George before the 2020 season, but it's hard to deny they've had some fun during that span.