Clippers star Kawhi Leonard knows exactly where he stands when it comes to airballs and has proven to his team that he really is a fun guy — or at least funny on accident.
During a recent episode of “Podcast P” with Paul George, players were discussing who the funniest guy on the Clippers’ roster is. Terance Mann said it was surprisingly Leonard, and this led to George telling a hilarious story about Kawhi at practice.
George said Clippers players are instructed to run after shooting an airball, explaining along with Mann that the entire team stops until the sprint is completed and that “nobody’s above the law.”
However, when Leonard completely missed his target during one practice, the two-time NBA champion simply wasn’t having it.
“Kawhi said, ‘I’m not running,'” George recalled in his best Leonard impression. “He’s like, ‘It’s basketball. I’m (going to) airball again. You’re not about to coach me or teach me that airballing is not good. It’s part of the game.'”
Mann jumped in and said that about 20 minutes later somebody else airballed, and Leonard made sure to comment on what was going on.
“Kawhi is like, ‘See?'” Mann said. “He’s like, ‘You got in everybody’s head now. Now everybody’s airballing.'”
Leonard is right in saying airballing is part of the game. It happens to everyone during big moments, including him. One of those instances was in 2021 when the Clippers were tied 2-2 in a first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs were up 103-100 with five seconds remaining, and Leonard attempted a 3-pointer that would’ve tied the game.
He was unsuccessful and Twitter had a field day joking about it. Fortunately, Leonard doesn’t have social media and he probably wouldn’t have cared anyway. In the game following that airball, Leonard put up 45 points, six rebounds and three assists in what became one of the best postseason performances of his career.
The Clippers eventually advanced to the second round by winning the series 4-3, so the airball wasn’t the worst thing in the world — and it might…
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