72 Kawhi Leonard Quotes On Defense, His Personality & Basketball
Jan 25, 2024
The top Kawhi Leonard quotes:
Kawhi Leonard is a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA.
He is well known as one of the best defenders and overall players in the league.
Kawhi attended San Diego State University and was drafted 15th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in 2011. With the Spurs, he won an NBA championship in 2014. Kawhi also played for the Toronto Raptors where he won a championship in 2019.
Kawhi is famous for his elite defensive abilities. He is a 2-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner (2015, 2016).
Kawhi also developed into one of the top scorers in the league. He is particularly efficient in the mid-range area.
Leonard is often praised for his strong work ethic, quiet demeanor, and his ability to impact the game on both ends of the court.
You also might like:
• Motivational Basketball Quotes To Build Confidence >>
• The 24 Best Kobe Bryant Mamba Mentality Quotes >>
Kawhi Leonard Quotes About Defense
1. "I try to come in with a focus to stop my man and win the game. I'm always trying to be ready to catch them off their strides by being physical enough without getting fouls."
2. "Playing football helped me a lot. Just reading the quarterback's eyes and reading receivers, figuring out what they want to do."
3. "It's how I've been playing my whole life, guarding the best player on the other team."
4. "Obviously, I like guys that can defend other positions. Draymond Green is doing a great job with Golden State. Jimmy Butler brings it every night when I'm out there."
5. "My hands make me a little longer, and that's always a good thing."
6. "I look at film, but more than watching individual players, I'm trying to watch a team's whole offensive scheme. I'm trying to know their tendencies so I can... guess. That's what it comes down to, really, making the best guess."
7. "I always wanted to play both ends of the floor. I never wanted to be one-dimensional."
8. "I'm just going out there to do my role, the same role - defense first - and then see how the ball turns out on the offensive end."
9. "That's how I grew up. Just play defense - and make a basket."
10. "Whoever I'm playing against, I go in and try to stop their best scorer and try to get myself going on the offensive end."
Read also: The Complete Guide to Getting in the Zone in Basketball >>
Best Kawhi Leonard Quotes About His Personality
11. "I don't watch ESPN, don't listen to the radio. I just go home and deal with my family."
12. "I'm just a low-key guy."
13. "I don't like to bring attention to myself. I don't like to make a scene."
14. "I've always liked home-cooked meals."
15. "I don't care about winning an MVP - the MVP doesn't mean you're the best player in the league."
16. "I'm just the same guy... I don't need to be a celebrity or a superstar."
17. "When I'm away from basketball, I hang out with my friends, chill, and that's about it."
18. "I'll never try to win an award. I'm out there just playing for my team."
19. "I'm not one of the guys in the league for the fame. I'm here so I can take of my family, my mom, my friends and take care of myself."
20. "If I get noticed for my individual performance, that's what happens. Other than that, I'm just trying to win the game."
21. "I can't be impatient. It would show on the floor, and I won't compete if I'm thinking about getting the ball."
You might like: How To Boost Your Confidence In Basketball | 10 Tips >>
Kawhi Leonard Basketball Quotes
22. "Everything outside doesn't matter when I'm on the court; it's just me and nothing else. Family problems, school, what happened to my father, all the stress goes away."
23. "I love the game of basketball, and as long as I can do that, keep playing and try to get some more championships with the organization, I'll be happy."
24. "Board man gets paid."
25. "I remember being a teenager and watching 40-year-old Michael Jordan compete in his final All-Star game."
26. "I didn't work out with Kobe. I don't know where that came from. I wish I could have."
27. "I definitely don't like to eat a lot before I play. I don't like to play on a full stomach. Sometimes, if I'm feeling hungry before a game, I'll eat one of those protein bars, but that's it."
28. "Coming to a team like the Spurs, you're automatically going to learn how to play the game the right way."
29. "I'm just happy that people like the way I play."
30. "I played basketball when I was little because it was fun for me. It still is now. I just love it. I have a passion for it."
31. "Coming in, I wanted to be a great player, and right now at the beginning of my career, I'm showing some slight sunshine that I can be the player I want."
32. "When I'm on the court, I feel all problems go away."
33. "People in the NBA are just as athletic as you. That's the game. You have to have the change of pace. You have to change speeds to get around people."
34. "I'm never trying to break a career high out there."
35. "I know people are going to put the main focus on stopping me, so I need to learn how to make my teammates better by passing and creating opportunities for them."
36. "I'm just happy that I get the opportunity to do the things on the court that I do in practice."
Guided Meditation: Pregame Guided Meditation For Basketball Players >>
Kawhi On Playing With Effort
37. "As long as you give your best effort, I feel like that's all you can do."
38. "I want to play against the best, and that's what I'm doing, just going out there and being focused, just competing every possession."
39. "I just try to play every game like it's Game 7 of the NBA Finals."
40. "I'm just living in the moment, trying to win every game. That's all I'm focused on."
You might like: How To Shoot Better In Basketball | 13 Tips To Improve Your Shooting >>
Quotes From Kawhi About Success And Winning
41. "My motivation wasn't really to get a $95 million contract, you know?"
42. "I'm just playing basketball. I just want to be a great player. That's it. That's all I'm thinking about. If the other stuff comes, it comes, but I'm just fortunate to play in the NBA Finals and just to play basketball, period."
43. "Winning is motivation."
44. "I could have gone to a bigger school. I use it as motivation going to a school that loved me. I wanted to put them on the map and show everyone that you don't need to go to a top school to make it in the NBA."
45. "I believed I could play in the NBA."
46. "I'm not out here just for the money. I want to be a great player."
47. "I'm just trying to pass Tim Duncan in championships if I can one day. That's my motivation; that's what I strive for. Tim is one of the greatest players who has ever played, so if I could get close or reach that plateau and have my name on that list."
48. "I'm always trying to come down with a win. That's what matters to me and my squad."
49. "I'm just here to play basketball and have fun and try to win another championship."
50. "If I can get back and win a championship, that's what I'm trying to do."
51. "It was a great feeling to be named an All-Star starter, to know that my hard work is paying off and fans around the world are recognizing that."
Guided Meditation: Manifest the Basketball Career of Your Dreams >>
Kawhi Leonard On Work Ethic
52. "I work all summer and throughout the whole season to be prepared for the challenges that I have to face."
53. "I just have to move forward and keep working on my game and getting better."
54. "I'm trying to be one of the greatest players, so whatever level that consists of is where I want to take my game."
55. "You definitely see a difference in some guys' games when they do get paid. I'm trying to make sure I'm not that player."
56. "I want the kids to know that it’s not a myth that somebody from their city plays and wins in the NBA. I just want to influence them to work hard and do whatever they want to do in life, whether it’s to be a basketball player or scientist."
57. "I could be on the court for two hours, and it felt like 10 minutes. It made time go by."
58. "I like being the underdog so they don't expect what's going to happen. It pushes me to work harder and do the things I'm not doing better."
59. "I just want to keep improving, to keep getting better."
60. "Everybody in the NBA works on their game. I just tried to follow that lead when I was in high school, college - and now."
61. "It's just the game itself that drives me. I just want to be able to compete at a high level."
62. "I've been working hard to be one of the focal points in the NBA, one of the top guys."
You might like: How to Mentally Prepare For a Basketball Game (5-Step Routine) >>
Kawhi Leonard On Family And Childhood
63. "My dad leaving my life. That's the biggest thing that happened to me. I just remember what he tells me, the memories, and try to move on forward each day, knowing that he's still here, looking down on me."
64. "When I was growing up, I didn't have a hometown hero."
65. "It's just a great feeling, once you have a child."
More quotes: 71 Giannis Antetokounmpo Quotes On Basketball, Failure, and Greatness >>
Other Kawhi Leonard Quotes
66. "At the end of the day, we all know what the Jordan logo means, and you can't take anything away from that. But it's pretty cool to have my own logo on a Jordan shoe."
67. "I was good. I probably could have gone to the NFL. I just hated practice."
68. "There's nothing to be scared of. We're playing basketball. The only thing that could happen is you failing. But as long as you're going hard, there's nothing to be scared of for me. I don't know what there is to be scared of."
69. "It's all mental. I just have to worry about my game."
70. "I'm trying to see what way I could lead so when the opportunity comes, it won't just hit me in the face."
71. "I don't eat the same meal or at the same time every single day. You get tired of that real quick. I just try to make sure whatever I'm eating is fresh and clean and good for my body. That's about it."
72. "People always want to compare their hands to mine. Pretty much everywhere I go."
More motivational basketball quotes:
• Kobe Bryant | Michael Jordan | Steph Curry | LeBron James | Kyrie Irving | Kevin Durant | Allen Iverson | Shaq | Larry Bird | Phil Jackson | John Wooden | Coach Pat Summitt | Coach Jim Valvano | All
