Blinksportsnews247
Although Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers was unable to finish the season healthy, it doesn’t detract from what was yet another incredible regular season for the two-time MVP of the NBA Finals.
His outstanding performance was acknowledged this week when the league revealed the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. Along with guards Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, Leonard was named to the 2023–24 All-NBA Second Team.
Kawhi Leonard was selected to the All-NBA team six times this season, while he was selected to the Second Team three times. This year’s All-NBA First Team members are Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, and Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers are the players that make up this year’s All-NBA Third Team.
Kawhi Creates History
Kawhi Leonard becomes the sixth member of an elite group of NBA superstars with his selection to the All-NBA team. Leonard made NBA history by becoming the 14th player to be selected to seven All-Defensive teams and six All-NBA teams. The Clippers forward is one of only a few players in the 78-year history of the league to have accomplished the accomplishment, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, John Havlicek, David Robinson, Kevin Garnett, Gary Payton, Scottie Pippen, Walt Frazier, and Jason Kidd.
With the exception of Chris Paul, all of the players listed above were also selected for the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team and are all Hall of Famers. Paul and Leonard will probably be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame soon after they decide to retire, considering their respective remarkable careers.
Kawhi Leonard played 68 games with the Clippers, averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in his second season after undergoing ACL surgery and his first after undergoing meniscus surgery. In the process, he shot the second-best three-pointer of his career and a career-high from the field. For the upcoming season, Leonard will sign a new three-year, $151 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Whether Paul George and James Harden, his former running partners, can work out contracts to rejoin him on the Clippers for the upcoming season is still up in the air.
Blinksportsnews247
