Probable gruesome reason behind LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard's silent demeanor resurfaces on NBA Twitter
LA Clippers superstar forward Kawhi Leonard’s silent demeanor has long been joked about by NBA fans on social media. Many have likened Leonard’s peculiar behavior and stiff body movements to that of a robot. However, few know the probable reason behind his reserved disposition.
Leonard's heartbreaking story recently resurfaced on NBA Twitter. According to reports, when he was 16 years old, Leonard experienced tragedy. His father, Mark Leonard, was murdered outside his car wash in Compton, California.
Mark was closing his shop and getting ready to head to his son's high school basketball game. However, before he could do so, he was reportedly shot 10 times in the parking lot. The murder was assumed to be gang-related, however, the case remains unsolved to this day.
According to Kawhi’s stepmother, Jacquelyne Leonard, her husband was a family man who had turned his life around and was beloved in their community. So, his murder came as quite a shock to the family:
“Mark had changed his life totally when I married him because I couldn’t live like that,” Jacquelyne said.
“Mark made an honest living. He built this car wash from the ground up in 2006 and took pride in it. He paved the lot with his bare hands. … The customers all knew and liked him because although he was big and intimidating and you couldn’t come to him with no BS, he was a nice guy.”
When Kawhi found out about his father's murder later that night, he reportedly took the loss extremely hard and went silent. So, his AAU coach, Marvin Lea, opened his home to Leonard and consoled him. According to Lea, Leonard later coped with the loss of his father through basketball:
“He really didn’t show no emotions about it. If you didn’t know the boy, you wouldn’t know what just happened. If you were around him enough, you know he’s a little different. Kawhi is a private person, then and now. Kawhi handled it through basketball.”
Just one night after his father’s murder, Leonard had another high school basketball game for Riverside, California's King High School. His coach, Tim Sweeney, expected him not to play and had even given him the option of sitting out the rest of the season. However, Leonard ultimately ended up suiting up with his family in attendance.
“Lo and behold, he shows up with his mom, his uncle Dennis Robertson, all the family is there,” Sweeney said.
“I told the people running the event not to have a moment of silence. This kid is holding it together barely, I thought, and to do that, we’re going to lose him. The idiots didn’t listen.”
Leonard finished with 17 points as his team fell 68-60 to Dominguez at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion. Following the game, Leonard released his emotions as he burst into tears in the arms of his mother, Kim Leonard.
“He was playing for the love of his father, and it was the first time he really felt the pain and the loss,” Sweeney said.
“His father was just a very hard-working man who came to as many games as he could; living in Compton, that’s a good hour and a half drive in traffic away from King. He was always very cordial and respectful. He did a good job helping to raise Kawhi.”
Also read: Kawhi Leonard family: Exploring the tumultuous personal life of the NBA champion
Kawhi Leonard’s father wanted to see his son become a pro athlete
Kawhi Leonard’s stepmother later said that one of his father’s biggest goals was to see his son become a professional athlete. Leonard may have never been the same emotionally following his father's murder, however, he was, fortunately, able to use his tragic past as fuel to become an NBA superstar and a two-time NBA champion.
According to his stepmother, his father would have been proud to see the player that he has become today.
“When I moved into my current house, I was unpacking and found an old Bible,” Jacquelyne said.
“I opened it and Mark had a prayer in it. He had made a list of things he wanted to happen in his life, as I asked him to do. One said, ‘Watch my boy go to the pros.’ If Mark was sitting here right now, he’d say, ‘I told y’all.’ Unfortunately, he’s not around to see this.”