Kawhi Leonard made his return to San Antonio over the weekend and he was greeted by a chorus of boos early and often, including during the pre-game player introductions and each time the ball touched his hands. Unfazed by the relentless jeers, Leonard led all scorers with 26 points to go along with 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals, as the Clippers cruised to 134-109 victory.
After the game, Leonard spoke about the villain's welcome he received upon his return the AT&T Center.
“The boos is just love,” Kawhi Leonard said, as seen in the video shared by USA Today’s Mark Medina. “Just taking it as that, I’m here for a reason, to win a ball game. It only can make me better and make our team better with the crowd not being on our side.”
"Just the way I probably left and how it was portrayed, the narrative that was portrayed in the media," Leonard said (H/T ESPN). "But, I don't make no sense of it. I know it's a game and it's competitive. When we're not playing or if I'm walking on the street or I see someone from San Antonio, they thank me for everything I did and they respect the way I played when I was here. It's just a part of the game, I feel like."
The win marked Kawhi's first against San Antonio, and the Clippers' 22nd of the season, as the team move to 22-10 on the year. Next up for the Clips is a Christmas Day showdown against the Western Conference leading Lakers.