LeBron James shares incredibly high praise for Kawhi Leonard originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard went head-to-head on Friday night as LeBron’ Los Angeles Lakers bested Kawhi’s Clippers, 125-122.
James tallied 13 points and 11 assists in the contest while Leonard had 31 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists before exiting the game with an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter.
After the game, James spoke about Leonard and shared some incredibly high praise for the two-time champion.
“Kawhi is awesome, man. He’s the best. He’s one of the best players ever. I couldn’t care less about the injuries. Those things you can’t control, you can only control the controllables. … That guy is awesome. I swear, I have nothing but great things to say about Kawhi and the type of basketball that he’s been playing the last couple months. He is who he is for a reason."
James added that he was disappointed that Leonard was unable to join Team USA for the Paris Olympics in 2024 due to a knee injury. He was ultimately replaced on the team by Boston Celtics guard Derrick White.
“I was disappointed on the 2024 Olympic team when he wasn’t able go with us, I was looking forward to teaming up with [Kawhi] too, as well,” James said. “A little disappointed about that, when he had to deal with another injury. Was looking forward to spending some time with him. … He’s awesome, I could speak about him all night.”
This story will be updated.
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