Former Raptors Player Shares Controversial Kawhi Leonard Statement

Former Toronto Raptors forward C.J. Miles has this to say about Kawhi Leonard
Former Raptors Player Shares Controversial Kawhi Leonard Statement
Former Raptors Player Shares Controversial Kawhi Leonard Statement /

The debate surrounding Kawhi Leonard's place in Toronto Raptors history is a very controversial one. Some believe Leonard is the greatest Raptors player ever, simply because he was the one who finally delivered a championship to the city. Others believe Leonard doesn't even belong in the conversation, since he left after one season.

Most people fall somewhere in the middle of this debate, recognizing Leonard is an all-time great Raptor because he brought them somewhere they'd never been, while also believing he cannot be the greatest Raptor ever because he was there for just one season.

During a recent episode of the Run Your Race Podcast, former Raptors forward C.J. Miles weighed in on whether or not Leonard should receive a statue in Toronto, and said it's hard to say yes, since he inherited a lot.

"It's hard to say yes, but I could see why you could argue it," Miles said. "It's hard to say yes, but it's the first one, and he makes the shot that gets them there... Getting a statue, it's a lot of groundwork that goes into getting a statue. Like, he kinda got handed stuff that was already there. Not disrespecting what he did. But if you look at the other statues, it's all guys that went through the hard times in that place to get there. He didn't have to do that. Let's look at all the statues. Who got statues? Think about what they dealt with. They carried that arena to a certain spot to get that. And they took the blame that came with them not getting there when they thought they should have."

This is a nuanced take from Miles, but one that's controversial amongst those who believe Leonard did not inherit as much in Toronto as others believe he did.

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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.