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Ex-Raptors Champion Shares Kawhi Leonard Message That Left Nick Nurse Speechless

LA Clippers star and Toronto Raptors champion Kawhi Leonard had his former coach speechless after one game.

Joey Linn

Oct 30, 2018; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and forward Kawhi Leonard (2) against the Philadelphia 76ers at Scotiabank Arena.
Oct 30, 2018; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and forward Kawhi Leonard (2) against the Philadelphia 76ers at Scotiabank Arena. / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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While he was in Canada for just one NBA season, Kawhi Leonard led the Toronto Raptors somewhere they’d never been before. Winning Finals MVP in 2019, Leonard delivered the Raptors their first championship in franchise history, doing so in historic fashion.

There are debates on where Leonard ranks among the all-time Raptors greats, as his tenure there is unlike almost anything that’s been seen before in sports. That said, what cannot be debated is his greatness throughout that run, as Leonard’s 732 postseason points in 2019 rank third all-time for a single run, trailing only LeBron James (2018) and Michael Jordan (1992).

During a recent episode of Draymond Green’s podcast, LA Clippers guard and 2019 Raptors champion Norman Powell shared a Kawhi Leonard story from that season.

“We’re in Toronto, we just got blown out by Milwaukee,” Powell said. “Nick Nurse is talking about roles and how our offense can get better. You know, we just got blown out. And he gets to Kawhi, and he's talking about trying to move the ball… He's like, ‘Even Kawhi, you come down, just moving the ball for the hell of it.' And Kawhi's like, 'Yeah, I don't think I should move the ball for the hell of it. My job is to score the ball.’”

Powell added, “And like, as a head coach, you usually got something to say back, and you don't know what to say because nobody was expecting it.”

According to Powell, the entire room busted up laughing at Leonard’s response that had his head coach speechless.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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