Kawhi Leonard was the most wanted man in basketball during the first few days of July as three teams were vying for his services. The Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers all made pitches to the two-time NBA Finals MVP, with the Clippers coming out victorious. Now, Leonard will get to play under head coach Doc Rivers while also earning himself quite the partner in Paul George. The Clippers are about to become one of the best teams in the league and no one is happier about this than owner Steve Ballmer.
Ballmer is considered to be one of the most energetic men in sports and can always be seen yelling and fist-pumping like no one's business. In an interview with Arash Markazi of The Los Angeles Times, Rivers spoke about what it was like for Leonard as he met Ballmer for the first time. As it turns out, Leonard was surprised by Ballmer's demeanor.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
“(Ballmer’s) been phenomenal to work with. He’s got more energy than anybody needs,” Rivers explained. “After Kawhi signed, we had this meeting and Ballmer walks in punching the air and making all these sounds and Kawhi, who doesn’t say much, leans over and says, ‘That man has too much energy.’”
Leonard's comments are pretty hilarious when you think about just how reserved of a player he's been over the years. Leonard and Ballmer couldn't be bigger polar opposites yet here they are together. We're sure Ballmer will be going even crazier if and when Leonard brings him that Larry O'Brien trophy.