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Kwahi re-signing with Toronto confirmed

Kawhi Leonard grew up near Los Angeles during a successful run by the Lakers, but he wasn't a fan of the team.

"I wasn't at all," Leonard said Saturday. "My family was, but I wasn't.

"I liked Allen Iverson, I was an A.I. fan, so I didn't like the Lakers."

The Lakers played Iverson's 76ers in the 2001 Finals.

Leonard will be a free agent this offseason and has been linked with the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers.

A survey of several league executives had the Lakers trailing in the competition to sign Leonard, even behind the Clippers.

Via Tim Bontemps/ESPN

but he requested trade to LA

MaxRider wrote:but he requested trade to LA

Do you can admit he never asked to go specifically to the Lakers, just LA...

Khawi to phily comfirmed

There's a video of him specifically saying Shaq and Kobe made him fall in love with the game and he started trying to incorporate their moves into his game.

If I was him I wouldn't want The Jump talking about my childhood fanhood either though so I'd downplay it. I'd say I wasn't even a basketball fan.

Paul George was also a Clippers fan growing up, not a Lakers fan.

Tomorrow's headline: Toronto Raptors hire Allen Iverson as "practice" coach and Barack Obama as VP of awesome ex-presidents

mtcan wrote:Tomorrow's headline: Toronto Raptors hire Allen Iverson as "practice" coach and Barack Obama as VP of awesome ex-presidents

if they can also get Dr. J then VC might be willing to come back...

He probably watched the game last night and changed his mind

Everybody know... He going to Knicks !... ... ...
...

If I was the Sixers, I'd get AI to talk to this man. Buddy would be joining the 76ers in the summer

Simmons
Redick
Kawhi
Saric
Embiid

mtcan wrote:Tomorrow's headline: Toronto Raptors hire Allen Iverson as "practice" coach and Barack Obama as VP of awesome ex-presidents

Well, its great that he is an ex president, not current

swenjj wrote:

mtcan wrote:Tomorrow's headline: Toronto Raptors hire Allen Iverson as "practice" coach and Barack Obama as VP of awesome ex-presidents

Well, its great that he is an ex president, not current

Oh dear...I can sense a political argument coming...I have nothing to say here because I am from Canada. Haha

This is an embarrassing revelation for the NBA media. For months, the Lakers org has promoted the "Kawhi is a Lakers fan because he's from LA" angle. The story was clearly fictitious. It's comparable to Bush administrations "weapons of mass destruction" lie about Iraq.

Despite the embarrassment, the media doesn't even say 'whoops'. Instead they pan the next sellable, guilty-by-association rumor based on Kawhi's confession. Now Kawhi wants to go to Philly. Of course, this pro-Warriors, pro-Jerry West web site continues to pimp the idea that Kawhi wants to sign with the Clippers. More baseless speculation. Whatever you believe, the agenda-pushing media has lost a great deal of credibility with regards to Kawhi.

Has anyone outside of Toronto considered the possibility that Kawhi will stay with the Raptors? It's likely that the Raptors will be in the finals this year due to LeBron's move to LA and Kawhi's move to Toronto. What happens if Toronto wins the finals this year with a healthy Kawhi (aka the Warriors Killer)? Why would Kawhi leave the Eastern Conference for the oversaturated Western Conference?

"even behind the Clippers"?

What does that mean? Does that mean the Clippers are not the front runners? Or it's a crappy organization? Or cuz they might move to Seattle?

Or the Uncle has changed his mind and decides it's more profitable to team up with Embiid and Simmons?

The media has been pushing that Lakers angle for some time now, and their hope is to make them a viable franchise again so that they can have a big market team in a nice city to cover. If it's not Toronto, there is no way it will be the Lakers or even the Clippers. I see Toronto, New York, Philadelphia and even Chicago.

MaxRider wrote:but he requested trade to LA

Did he?
Or was that just another popular rumor that got repeated again and again?

MaxRider wrote:but he requested trade to LA

What you heard, you heard from his uncle. And it was los Angeles NOT los Angeles lakers

=

Clippers.

In fact if he hated the lakers, the clips sounds even more plausible than ever before

I guess he’s definitely going to the Sixers now since 28 year old men frequently base multimillion-dollar career decisions on which team their favorite player played for when they were a kid.

I just think how everyone obsesses about which team these players were fans of when they were kids is silly. People grow up and develop much different priorities - they even become fans of different teams!