Kawhi Leonard

Who is Kawhi Leonard?

Kawhi Leonard is a National Basketball Association professional basketball player. Kawhi Leonard is a three-time All-Star with two first-team All-NBA selections. Leonard has been a consistent performer in the NBA since he was a young player.

Kawhi has played for four different NBA clubs since his debut, including the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers, and Indiana Pacers.

Early Childhood, Parents, and Ethnicity

Kawhi Leonard was born on 29 June 1991, in Los Angeles, California, United States of America.

His parents, Mark and Kim Leonard raised him.

Kawhi’s parents split when he was a child and when he was just five years old.

As a result, he relocated to Moreno Valley, California, to be closer to his mother.

Kawhi maintained a positive relationship with his father even after his parents divorced.

In addition, he used to spend weekends and summers in Compton, California, visiting his father.

He grew up with his four older sisters, Miesha Slayton, Kimesha Monae Williams, and two more whose names are unknown, in addition to his parents.

Kawhi was a big sports fan as a kid, and he used to practice football with his dad when he was a kid.

However, after graduating from high school, Kawhi decided to pursue a career in basketball instead of football.

His father, on the other hand, was quite supportive of his burgeoning interest in the game and even used to assist him in training.

Kawhi’s life was going well until January 8th, 2008, when he received the tragic news that would change his life forever.

In Compton, California, Kawhi’s father was shot and died in the car wash he owned.

The killer has yet to be identified, and the motivation remains unknown.

It was a devastating blow to Kawhi’s life because he lost him not just as a parent but also as a football teammate and basketball motivator.

Despite the terrible news, Kawhi played the next night at the Pauley Pavilion against Dominguez Hills.

In later conversations with The Los Angeles Times, Kawhi stated,

Similarly, Kawhi decided to make his late father proud by vowing to become a successful and excellent basketball player from that day forward.

Not to add, Kawhi is of mixed heritage and has an American nationality (African-American).

Education

Leonard began his education at Canyon Springs High School before being transferred to Martin Luther King High School.

For his outstanding performances throughout his senior year, Kawhi was named California Mr. Basketball, the best high school player in the state.

Kawhi joined San Diego State University after a stellar high school career.

Kawhi joined the Aztecs while at university and made significant contributions to the team.

His contributions also helped the Aztecs to a 25-9 record and the Mountain West Conference (MWC) tournament title.

Moreover, Leonard finished with a 34–3 record in his sophomore season and won back-to-back conference tournament championships.

Not to mention, Kawhi also led the MWC in rebounding and was named First Team All-MWC, MWC Freshman of the Year, and even the 2010 MWC Tournament MVP.

Likewise, he was also named the Second Team All-America. After an incredible college career, Kawhi left San Diego State to enter the 2011 NBA draft.

Age, Height & Body Measurements

Kawhi Leonard is 31 years old as of now. Likewise, the American native shares his birthday on June 29, making his birth sign Cancer.

And from what we know, they are known for being talented, intelligent, and passionate, among other signs.

Likewise, Kawhi stands tall as the average NBA player with a height of 6 feet 7 inches(2.01 m) and reportedly weighs around 102 kgs(225 lbs).

Not to mention, Kawhi’s agility and physicality are a plus point when it comes to his time on the court.

With his athletic body in the higher percentile, it’s no wonder that he has been named Defensive Player of the year twice.

Kawhi’s years of training and competing on the court have made him healthy and fit.

As for his body measurements, Kawhi’s chest measures 47 inches (119 cm), his biceps measure 16 inches (41 cm), and waist measures 33 inches (84 cm).

Other than that, Kawhi has got short black hair and a pair of black eyes.

Kawhi possesses a hand of length 9.75 inches and a hand span of 11.25 inches.

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Facts about Kawhi Leonard

Net worth & Income

Kawhi Leonard has acquired a net worth of $35 million.

Additionally, Leonard is the 43rd highest-paid athlete in the world as of 2022 and the second-highest-paid Clippers player. Similarly, he is also ranked as the 14th highest-paid player in the NBA.

Moreover, when he joined the Spurs in the 2011-2012 season, he earned $1.7 million as an annual salary. And notably, his salary gradually increased from 2013 to the 2015 season.

His annual salary increased to $1.8 million in 2013, $1.9 million in 2014, and $3.05 million in 2015.

In the 2016 season, Leonard signed a five-year contract worth $90 million, in which he received $16.4 million as an annual salary.

Similarly, in the 2017 season, he earned $17.6 million and then $18.8 million in his last season with the Spurs.

Further, while playing with the Raptors, he received $23.22 million. After that, Leonard signed a three-year deal with the clippers worth $103 million in 2019.

Endorsements

Aside from Kawhi’s contracts and salaries, he has benefited from long-standing endorsement deals with various brands adding a rising in his net worth.

Additionally, the professional basketball player signed a deal with New Balance in 2018.

Likewise, from that deal, he will earn $5 million each season, making him a top-15 shoe endorsement deal earner in the league.

Moreover, he also signed with the Nike subsidiary, Air Jordan, from which Kawhi receives $500,000 each season.

Not to mention, Air Jordan also offered him a four-year deal worth $20 million, but Kawhi declined.

Later, in 2016, Leonard signed an endorsement deal with Wingstop. Likewise, he also got featured in commercials for brands such as Honey.

Professional career

After his stellar career in high school and college, Kawhi was selected in the 2011 NBA draft as the 15th overall selection by the Indiana Pacers but was sent to the San Antonio Spurs in a trade that same night.

Following the NBA lockout conclusion, Kawhi signed a multi-year deal with the Spurs in the 2011 season.

He made a good impression throughout his rookie season and was placed fourth in Rookie of the Year voting at the season’s end.

Not only that but Kawhi was also named to the 2012 NBA All-Rookie First Team.

In the 2013 season, of Kawhi’s performance in the series against Miami Heat, he was named NBA Finals MVP, becoming the third-youngest player to win the award.

Likewise, he also got named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the first time in his career.

Further in his 2015 season, Kawhi won the Western Conference team’s starter for the 2016 All-Star Game.

Consequently, he also earned his first All-Star selection and became the sixth Spurs player in team history to get selected as an All-Star starter that season.

Moreover, Leonard resigned from the spurs for the 2016 season and showed outstanding performances in his game.

Not to mention, on January 19, he was named a starter for the Western Conference All-Star team in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game.

Subsequently, he was also selected to the All-NBA First Team for the second straight time and likewise earned All-Defensive First Team honors for the third successive season.

During the 2017 season, Kawhi missed the first 27 games of the season due to his right quadriceps injury but later made his season debut on December 12 against the Dallas Mavericks.

After that, Kawhi requested a trade from the Spurs after months of tension over his injury rehabilitation program.

Following his request, Kawhi was traded to the Toronto Raptors. In his debut for the Toronto Raptors in their season opener, Kawhi won over the Cleveland Cavaliers and against Boston Celtics.

Likewise, just after playing for a few months, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

Later, Kawhi ended his season with the Raptors, getting named the NBA Finals MVP for the second time. Likewise, he also became the third Finals MVP to have won the award.

After that, Leonard signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Clipper on July 10, 2019.

As expected, Kawhi made a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves in his first debut for the Clippers.

Los Angeles Clippers

Moreover, he was also named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games from January.

In the 2020 season, he was named the NBA All-Star Game MVP.

Personal life & Wife

We know that Kawhi Leonard is a successful NBA player and has been in this field since 2011.

Just like his professional life, Kawhi is also successful when it comes to his love life. Additionally, Kawhi is in a loving relationship with his girlfriend, Kishele Shipley.

According to sources, Kawhi and Kishele met for the first time at San Diego State University. Likewise, they both attended the same Uni at the same time.

Despite being in a relationship for so long, the couple has yet to tie the knot. Moreover, the two lovely duo shares two children at the moment.

Kawhi and Kishele welcomed their first child, a daughter, in October 2016 and named her Kaliyah Leonard.

Likewise, a few years after, the two welcomed their second child, this time, a son in their small family.

Sadly, they have not mentioned anything about the son, like his name and birth date. It seems like the couple wants to keep the media and the limelight far from their kids.

As of now, the small family of four is living a happy and comfortable life. Likewise, they have stayed far from rumors and allegations and have no plans to get divorced anytime soon.

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Social Media Presence

His Instagram account has 128k followers and his Twitter account has 444.7k followers.