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“The Return of the King”: 2X NBA Champion’s Much Awaited Return to Action Leaves NBA Fans Going Gaga

Published 10/01/2022, 7:30 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard, nicknamed ‘The Klaw’ is not known for his flashy plays. In fact, he has a rather low profile both on and off the court as well. Leonard arguably wins games with his sound knowledge of the fundamentals. He creates opportunities for himself in the mid-range instead of looking to shoot threes or go for a poster dunk. 

But that doesn’t mean he can’t do those things too. Leonard has always been the silent leader type since he came into the league. He started off his career with the San Antonio Spurs where he won one championship with the organization. And then he was traded to the Toronto Raptors where he brought the team their first championship in franchise history in 2019. 

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The much-anticipated return of Kawhi Leonard

And since then, he has been playing for the Los Angeles Clippers alongside Paul George. Kawhi Leonard has dealt with a few injuries in his career. Notably, he ended up missing the entire 2021-2022 NBA season due to a knee injury. Leonard blew out his knee in Game 4 of the 2021 Western Conference Semi-finals against the Utah Jazz.

USA Today via Reuters

Leonard has been a pivotal part of the team’s offense and defense both. He came into the league as a defender and only got better as time went on. But he also managed to work on his offense and shooting and is now a five-time All-Star. ‘The Klaw’ has won two Finals MVPs and two Defensive Player of the Year awards along with his two championships.

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Since he missed out on the entirety of last season, Kawhi Leonard has finally been given the all-clear and is set to make his return this season. And fans around the league, along with Clippers fans are way too excited. 

Here are some of the best reactions from NBA Twitter:

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Kawhi Leonard has played 10 seasons in the league so far and is undoubtedly one of the better all-around players out there. He was even known as the “LeBron stopper” in his days with the San Antonio Spurs. Head coach Gregg Popovich trusted Leonard and gave him perhaps the most difficult matchup assignment on the team. 

Watch This Story – The uncanny resemblance between Kawhi Leonard and Michael Jordan’s plays

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The Los Angeles Clippers ended up with the 9th seed in the Western Conference last season with a 42-40 overall record.

With the return of ‘The Klaw’, do you think the Clippers will make a deep run in the playoffs next season? 

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Written by:

Abhishek Dhariwal

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Abhishek Dhariwal is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He earned his bachelor's degree in English Honors from St. Xavier's College and his master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from AAFT School of Mass Communication and Journalism.
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Edited by:

Veer Badani