“He spent one year in Toronto”: NBA Champ Justin Jackson gives brutally honest opinion against a Kawhi Leonard statue in Toronto
It is unusual for a superstar player to lead a team to the NBA championship in his first season. Kawhi Leonard is one of only a few. Leonard landed in Toronto for the 2018–2019 season, and the Raptors won the championship that year.
Though it was expected that Kawhi would leave the Raptors, his departure right after winning the championship was a bit of a surprise for some. It was the first and only championship the Raptors have won in their franchise’s history.
In a recent podcast episode of “Run Your Race," Theo Pinson asked Justin Jackson if Leonard deserved a statue outside the Raptors’ arena. The former Mavs player started by saying that Leonard was one of his favorite players in the league and perhaps one of the top three in the NBA when healthy.
However, he also added that, given his tenure with the franchise, Leonard didn’t deserve the statue.
"He spent one year in Toronto. He won a championship, then he bounced. One year, tenure, in my mind, does not result in a statute."
As for Pinson he replied, “agree to disagree.”
It is true that Leonard only spent a season in Toronto, which is a valid argument against having his statue outside the arena. However, the fact that he led the Raptors to their only and most important NBA championship makes him deserving of the honor.
Moreover, at the end of the day, it is always the organization’s call if they want to put a player’s statue outside their arena. In general, the franchises put the statues of players outside their arena, also keeping in mind how much the fans relate to them.
Kawhi Leonard has participated in full-court practice since injury
Kawhi Leonard has missed the last four games for the LA Clippers after suffering a hip contusion. The Clippers star suffered the injury against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 20. According to the latest report, Leonard has participated in the full-court practice before the Clippers face the Miami Heat on Jan. 1.
As per the Clippers’ injury report, Leonard is listed as questionable for the contest against the Heat.
According to the Clippers’ coach, Tye Lue, Leonard didn’t suffer a fresh injury against the Mavericks. Leonard suffered the injury in the Clippers' win against the Utah Jazz on Dec. 8. The Clippers star had been playing through the ailment before aggravating it against the Mavericks.
So far into the season, Leonard has played 27 games, averaging 24.4 points per game. He is shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 42.9 from beyond the arc. The Clippers are fourth in the Western Conference with a 19-12 record.