Fred VanVleet Tells One Wild Kawhi Leonard Story

Kawhi Leonard’s one season in Toronto was a weird one. The Raptors traded for him even though he made it very clear he had no interest in playing there. Leonard, already a bit of an odd personality, even told his teammates this when he arrived. Still, despite all the weirdness around his joining the Raptors, they still pulled off an incredible run, which ended in the 2019 NBA championship.

Fred VanVleet, a key player on that championship team, recently told a story about Kawhi and what he said after winning it all in 2019. 

"Kawhi Leonard changed my view on a lot of sh*t. It was one thing in particular that I overheard—he didn't say it to me, I just overheard the sentiment of a conversation when we won the championship in 2019. He was like, ‘I’m better than Kobe Bryant.’ I had the same reaction [as KD] because Kobe is my man; that’s as good as it gets for me. But I started thinking to myself—I know how I feel about where I stand because I’m on the court playing against these guys—and when he said it, I said, 'Well, if I’m him...' Just those three words changed how I look at the game. If I’m him, how do I feel? [Kevin Durant:] It’s not a bad thing to feel that way. I don't like using dudes as an example, like, 'Since I did this, I'm better than this,' but I get that mindset."

If true, this is a bold claim by Leonard. Kobe ended his career with five NBA championships, while the Toronto ring gave Leonard his second. Kobe also has triple the amount of All-Star appearances as Leonard (18 to 6). Kobe has an MVP, and Kawhi doesn’t.

All NBA greats probably believe they are greater than they actually are. However, for Leonard, who has spent almost as much time hurt as he has been dominating the league, this is one of the bolder claims a player has made of late.