Kawhi Leonard's High School Coach Delivers Surprising Comparison

BYAlexander Cole6.2K Views
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Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi made quite an impression on his coaches.

Kawhi Leonard has been a dominant player in the NBA ever since he was drafted earlier this decade. Leonard is one of those players who can dominate on both sides of the court and this past spring, he led the Toronto Raptors to their first-ever NBA Championship. In the summer, Kawhi left the Raptors and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers who are now one of the big favorites to win the title.

Leonard has been impressing basketball fans since his high school days at Martin Luther King Jr. High. In a recent article by Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer, Leonard's early days were looked into and his high school coach, Tim Sweeney Jr., provided some commentary on the star. Sweeney had some interesting comments about Leonard and even compared him to a defensive star of the 1990s.

Kawhi Leonard's High School Coach Delivers Surprising Comparison
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“This kid’s going to be an NBA All-Star by the time we’re done with him,” Sweeney said. “He was a Dennis Rodman that could score.”

Rodman was one of the most eclectic stars of the 90s and was known as a rebounding machine. Leonard has since given himself the nickname "board man" so it's clear he takes some pride in being compared to a player like Rodman. Regardless, being compared to a player like Rodman at such a young age is pretty surprising and shows just how good Leonard was in high school.

Clippers fans should be feeling very lucky right now.


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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