Kawhi Leonard’s odd injury and pesky uncle caused so much beef the Spurs lost their star | Part Two

Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs fostered a special connection on the court. Throughout their partnership, both Kawhi and the Spurs experienced a ton of success and proved San Antonio wasn’t going anywhere. For six years, the introverted superstar and the Spurs seemed inseparable until a mysterious quadriceps injury limited Kawhi’s play, ultimately stripping the true essence of what held their relationship together - hooping. With Kawhi unable to perform, the usual story of greatness that surrounded the league’s model franchise turned into a bizarre saga where a once strong connection collapsed, and in its place: beef that shifted the entire landscape of the NBA.
Written, produced and edited by: Joe Ali
Motion graphics designed by: Philip Pasternak
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[@SecretBaseSBN]

PART TWO IS FINALLY HERE!! But if you missed part one, don't sweat it. There's plenty of time to catch up and fully understand what makes this one of the most unique beefs in NBA history. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKu3fqWYZt2IopI

[@aH-bc6ey]

Guys can you please do a rewinder on Ghana vs Uruguay 2010 with the World Cup currently underway

[@BadgerFromOz]

Strange. I saw Popovich hugging Kawhi the other week.

[@justinaguinaldo5393]

8

[@pat2100]

@@BadgerFromOz yup this guy is bias and just trying to make a vid

[@905JimRaynor]

the injury is not odd.

[@jandrashriker5861]

10:03 I will be honest with you Aldridge did deserve praise. He kept playing despite his arrhythmia. Absolutely admirable.

[@AdrianSanchez-ns3rk]

Literally carried the Spurs though 2018-2020

[@johnnytimestamp8224]

Should’ve signed with Suns. We lost both Morris twins because of that 😢

[@jandrashriker5861]

For context: Arrhythmia is a condition where your heartbeat can fluctuate very often and completely unannounced. It's so random that you could die of it. But Aldridge just played through, with all the risks in place.

[@lucagattoni-celli1377]

@@jandrashriker5861 That's insane, he should not have done it.

[@jandrashriker5861]

@@lucagattoni-celli1377 i totally agree. But it was Aldridge's choice to go in there. Plus his tenure at Spurs gave his career a second wind. After Oden and Roy fell to injuries in Portland, there was only Aldridge left. I believe that really weighed heavy on his heart.

[@chad_b]

His uncle Dennis also had some pretty ridiculous demands and requests in Toronto too

[@DeTAYL.]

💯💯💯

[@spicy_xinger]

Uncle Dennis is a cancer. It’s what happens when you give a clown a microphone. Lies out his teeth like a true conman

[@TheBrainSpecialist]

Kawhi will never have to buy a drink in Toronto His uncle Dennis would sooner get beat up by bouncers in the alley behind the establishment

[@marqueswilliams345]

I wonder what those demands were lol

[@chad_b]

@@marqueswilliams345 similar to what they demanded from San Antonio. Part ownership of the team, private jet, endorsements, etc.

[@ajtaylor8750]

I never wanted Kawhi to leave the Spurs because it seemed like a perfect fit, but when he won in Toronto I 100% didn't want him to leave because that seemed like even a better fit. Perfect medical staff, great roster surrounding him, an amazing coach in Nick Nurse, and Masai Ujuri as the GM who took a gamble by trading for Kawhi and won. The Raptors could've ran it back for sure.

[@miguelhernandez8577]

I don't think they run it back. They were a good team that got lucky with injuries in the Finals.

[@leonardozambito2262]

100% would of been back to back champion. Oh, well🤷‍♂️

[@trevorburton3290]

They would be a threat but if you look at how much load managing they did with him who knows. Since that championship he hasn't really done anything like people expected, and it's looking like limited play is becoming more and more of what his career is about to consist of.

[@Kennyisdarkvanilla]

@@miguelhernandez8577 they definitely beat the bubble Lakers in the finals.

[@landlocked_lifts332]

@@Kennyisdarkvanilla You're bugging.

[@ImBarryScottCSS]

Pop's comments about Kawhi's leadership were bang on and nothing has changed. This isn't an indictment on Kawhi, it's just the truth, he's a quiet, private man and just because you're an all world talent that doesn't mean you're automatically gonna be a great leader.

[@slightexag]

"Leads only by example" is doublespeak for "just thinks about himself"

[@ImBarryScottCSS]

@@slightexag I think that's probably overly harsh. Some people just aren't good at motivating or understanding others but they can still set a good example through their deeds.

[@gators9570]

@@ImBarryScottCSS Kawhi won a championship with a squad and immediately bolted for a max contract in the city he wanted to be. He’s 100% only thinking about himself. Which is fine, I just wouldn’t want him on my team when he so obviously doesn’t care about playing

[@BigA678]

@@gators9570 but when he’s healthy he plays 40 mins in almost every playoff game and can carry you to the Finals

[@97NikeSb]

@@BigA678 he hasn’t been to the finals in how long now? He choked a 3-1 lead when the Clippers were the best they’ve been in years

[@randomtees]

Kawhi was always the least likely guy to leave San Antonio. As mentioned in the video, Tim Duncan visited Orlando in 2000 and told Doc that he was going to leave the Spurs, he just wanted to tell Pop in person first. Then the Spurs quickly summoned David Robinson to bail on his vacation and do whatever it took to keep Duncan from leaving. Even Manu once flirted with the Nuggets. A young Tony Parker was nearly expendable after the Spurs had a verbal agreement with Jason Kidd, only for Kidd to decide to re-sign with the Nets at the last minute. Kawhi leaving never crossed my mind. He was essentially a custom made Spur. Quiet. Drama free (or so it seemed). Hated the media. Loved Pop. As they visited the country, Pop used to take him out one-on-one so he could experience new cultures. I will never understand what happened. I think there was a lot of miscommunication on both sides, and I def think a certain someone was in Kawhi's ear. And it seems clear that Kawhi is easily influenced by others. But the Spurs are a weird animal, much like the Pats. The Spurs don't refer to themselves as a franchise, they call it "the program," like a college coach would. And they are closer to a college program than an NBA due to Pop's controlling nature. That attitude is great when you're winning, but when you start losing, the franchise's flaws start to amplify. Over the last few years-even the last few weeks-we've begun to witness some of those exposed cracks in San Antonio (and perhaps in Kawhi's camp as well).

[@chasenickles260]

Duncan was leaving the spurs to play for orlando, only reason why duncan changed his mind is because he asked doc rivers who was the coach at the time can his family ride with him to games and doc said no, which lead to Duncan returning back to the spurs........obviously family is very important to duncan........ stephen Jackson made a comment about a month ago on his podcast with Matt barnes and it was referring to dejounte murray looking like a entirely different player once he left the spurs and jackson basically said that pop is controlling hence the reason why guys leave the spurs......and when you look at it only player who was probably happy on the spurs was robinson and he was on the team before pop became a coach.......duncan wanted to leave, Kawhi left, even LaMarcus aldridge wanted to leave at one point but pop had to talk him down to make him stay.......you would think DeRozan would of stayed with the way pop was helping developing him and he left, now look at dejounte murrray

[@elbowgang9715]

I wish Kawhi had put hands on that weasel Tony Parker I can't stand that POS. He was a shitty teammate

[@juicyeboi9006]

Idk if you're referencing the Primo situation I don't think you can blame the Spurs for that. Can't just go exposing yourself to people non consensually

[@Ellivation]

@@juicyeboi9006 the spurs knew about since January and tried to brush it under the rug

[@ItIsYouAreNotYour]

Kawhi sits for hang nails. He wants to be paid like a superstar and sit the whole season and come out at playoffs. Same dude who kept forgetting what knee to grab after every play.

[@eddietheaggie2010]

Consider this: San Antonio had a stellar reputation RE: player health management. They shut down Tim Duncan in 2000 even though he desperately wanted to play to defend SA's '99 title. They pioneered load management before it was cool (even getting fined for it in the process). Kawhi was on those early load management teams, and even benefitted from it himself RE: previous injuries. There was zero reason to believe SA's medical team would suddenly decide to "rush" him back, diagnosis beef or not. THAT risk-averse med staff/org STILL was willing to swallow their pride and completely abdicate care of their STAR PLAYER to third parties in NY and affiliated with other franchises. Just to appease Kawhi/Uncle Dennis. I don't think people realize how monumental an effort that was to meet Kawhi halfway (more than halfway). But the proof is really in the pudding when you consider that the team offered several times to acquiesce to Leonard's health druthers and place him on IR. #2's refusal to that ultimate capitulation, preferring instead to play hide-and-seek in NYC with the team, really said it all.

[@specialwhenlit8435]

All of this. During the later stages of the "where tf is Kawhi?" saga, Pop eventually brought up his shutdown of Timmy in 2000 as a clear example of how he has carefully dealt with such injury concerns in the past. Pop even famously got fined a quarter of a million dollars over load management (or more specifically, for flying home his star players in the face of gross scheduling inequality). Pop and the front office have always been careful about the health of their players, especially their superstars. All of that info barely got reported. The very same media that trashed Pop for pioneering load management then quickly turned around and accused that same person of being reckless with a player's health. No wonder Pop hates the national media, they don't care about context, only selling copy and counting clicks.

[@Matt-cr4vv]

This situation was an example of something I despise. You have Kawhi who isn’t with his team nor is he communicating progress updates or concrete information to the team or the media but is then upset that they’re just accepting updates from the Spurs as if there is no doubt. If you aren’t communicating what you claim is the truth then you can’t be upset when people simply accept the only information they’re being provided. And then go to spend an entire season essentially dragging your team and fans along about your status when you never return. Obviously we don’t know it all but the side that’s always trying to be evasive is hard to buy especially when they won’t even give their side but expect you to take their side that they won’t even reveal to you.

[@BrothaGoneBased]

Ahhh the much anticipated Uncle Dennis Saga. This beef is salty

[@randomtees]

Honestly, Dennis may have done the Spurs a favor. It doesn't look like Kawhi is going to ever be fully healthy and the Spurs MAY end up landing Victor W. I just wish the Spurs had accepted reality at the time and blown the team up instead of trying to compete with Derozan.

[@BrothaGoneBased]

@@randomtees Yea I wish they would have blown it up right after too. It probably was the for the best for both. Really for kawhi because the roster around him wouldn't have been enough in SA. Kawhi even with his injury history is too good to be on a roster like the 2019 spurs rather than the raptors.

[@xkptwistblazex]

Uncle Dennis is to Kahwi as Don King was to Tyson.

[@drphot6050]

All black children especially the males need a Uncle like that lol

[@Simon_Diamond803]

Honestly I would of traded for Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown in 2018. I think Ball, Kuzma, and Hart was on the table as well. I respect DeMar DeRozan, but the man is not a winner when it counts.

[@thetruthstand]

I don't think the Spurs fans were "hating" on Kawai. They were responding to the fact that the Leonard camp was doing a lot of shady crap.

[@IK-yb5rn]

Yeah it’s unfair to call them hating when they were being left in the dark for years

[@coruscant100]

As a Spurs fan, I generally ask myself from time to time what could've been. What would've happened if Zaza didn't pull that dirty play that really got this incident started? What would've happened had Kawhi's uncle not gotten involved? So much lost that screwed up the Spurs and someone who could've been the next Duncan or Robinson for the Spurs is gone forever.

[@TyEats0031]

As a raptors fan I’m glad it all happened LOL

[@thisguy8106]

He wouldve found anther excuse to get out. Zaza wasn't the reason..he was just the excuse.

[@alexgrissom3513]

The Zaza play wasn’t dirty, cmm

[@trolln_]

They were up up 20 too

[@rodriguerra3639]

@@alexgrissom3513 common warrior fan L

[@jonathanwstx]

As a San Antonio native and a die hard Spurs fan, I gotta say this was an awesome video. Showed the good and the bad of both sides. Like all Spurs fans, I wished it ended differently.

[@andyg7747]

Weird that this doesn't make it clear that the Spurs degenerative disease diagnosis was correct and that Kawhi and Uncle Dennis are the biggest culprits in this breakup. The Spurs are also the kings of load management which is the only thing Kawhi can do now to help with his problem.

[@t-mofisher8922]

Exactly. Even to this day we see fans and less-informed media refer to his troubles as some mystery ailment. No, its his tendinopathy and at this rate its not gonna get better bc of misdiagnosis from his camp. They screwed him over. We are even currently getting reports about Kawhi being frustrated about load management on the Clips when that is the only way his injury can be abated now

[@jonathanlgill]

Boy, that's tragic to hear. I didn't know the details. Spurs really would have been a perfect place for him. Nurse overworks his athletes, but Toronto would have still been the better team than the Clippers.

[@Dekartz]

Doesn't make this fact clear but definitely takes the time to disparage the fans.

[@andrewschuschu3499]

Never had a drop of hate for Kawhi. Also absolutely disagreed with the amount his management group was shady, inconsistent, and disingenuous. His management group around him was so BAD that they took a selfless defensive guy who could also score, and turned him into the opposite. THAT's how bad his uncle and his management group was. They completely ruined his brand and in the long run did nothing to help his actual health condition. His crap-shoot management team ruined his brand, outright.

[@versatillion15]

Found a spurs fan. Exactly what brand did he have in San Antonio? Popovich never let anybody do any kind of branding

[@Trevor-lr2oh]

Perfectly said

[@cjvaye99]

I never hated Kawhi and still dont. I can relate to him more than any other nba player because of his personality it's almost exactly like mine. I didnt like everyone else on the spurs though all those years and now the clippers but Kawhi I've always liked.

[@One.Zero.One101]

The lesson here is hire the best people based on merit. Don't hire family member just to do them favors.

[@shidditiddis]

@@versatillion15 he spelled it out for you and you still had trouble. His brand was “selfless defensive guy that could also score” that is 100% a personal brand whether you’re in commercials and ads or not

[@hardieharrharr]

As a Texan I can say that with San Antonio being 3rd wheel in the sports department just to get anyone to play and stay there is a huge accomplishment. It does have a small town feel to the city, so their fan base is big on family and loyalty.

[@frederickdelius1106]

Third wheel. We have more chips than the other two combined. Psh third wheel...naw it is small, compared

[@johnwalker3265]

@@frederickdelius1106 he said “sports department” not “basketball” Do you have reading comprehension issues??

[@johnwalker3265]

@@frederickdelius1106 San Antonio is clearly the third wheel in the Texas sport market. You are insane to think otherwise

[@johnnytimestamp8224]

Don’t forget cheating. They live that too

[@thetexanshurtme]

@@johnnytimestamp8224 cheating?!?!

[@ampersand2001]

Great work as always Joe! A deep and introspective look into a very complicated and sad situation. Thank you!!!

[@Evs78101]

As a San Antonio local I gotta say I love this beef history. It tore the fan base in half for sure. Since he left San Antonio has a stigma when it comes to big name, big money players. It seems like we only develop talent to leave to a better paying club. The rebuild era is in full swing

[@catman422]

Kings fan here, I can empathize upon the stigma that a franchise brings, hopefully you guys can rebuild to the greatness y’all once had

[@soulcleaner3578]

It took me a while to stop referring to him as number 2, but we all gotta move on

[@boiboiboi8684]

from the outside looking in the Spurs look like they got a bright future, I hope you guys win the Wemby sweepstakes, if not #2 Scoot is extremely under appreciated .

[@Evs78101]

@@boiboiboi8684 gotta get some size on the team. Not having a strong paint presence is a problem

[@dannyhernandez265]

@@catman422 as a Californian but not a kings fan, I hope the Kings make it to the playoffs this year. It’s good to see teams that haven’t made it in a while get up there with big team names.

[@soulcleaner3578]

It's not even that we expected strict loyalty. If the Spurs felt that they were left in the dark, imagine how it must have felt to for the fans. Everyone embraced Leonard here, the way he and his camp acted felt like nothing less than a betrayal.

[@BigA678]

He doesn’t owe you guys anything. Pop using the media and TP to bash his injury, which was still present during the 2019 finals, is also betrayal.

[@97NikeSb]

@@BigA678 oh shut up. Everyone excuses Leonard for what? He didn’t speak up about his injury and look at him now he barely even plays. The rumors of him wanting to come to LA were true and the spurs were spot on with that. I’m not even a spurs fans but it’s clear that Leonard isn’t this great guy

[@brixaabrixaa3390]

@@97NikeSb yeah look at him now coming off an acl tear. That’s why he not playing. U sound like a circus clown

[@brushylake4606]

@@BigA678 that's the attitude that NBA players have that is going to destroy the league. The players owe the fans everything. Who ends up paying for their multi-million dollar salaries? Who ends up paying for the private clubs and the women who throw themselves at them? If not for the fans throwing down hundreds of dollars a ticket to attend games, buy jerseys, and wear the shoes, most of these guys would be lucky to get a job at McDonald's. The only reason anyone has ever even heard of Kawhi Leonard is because of the fans dropping their hard-earned money. The least he could have done is to have said something.

[@gmr911]

@@BigA678 You dumb effing moron. Look at Parker's quote in context, he wasn't bashing it. Pop did not bash him at all.GTFO

[@thatboylije7892]

Spurs told him that knee was degenerative that’s why he sought after a second opinion because he wanted a max contract that’s why he’s still struggling with it today

[@jaron312]

Spurs were going to give it to him if he wanted it

[@shorewall]

Yep, and he didn't want it. He wanted LA, and that bag, and he needed a second opinion to trick teams into falling for it. He's ruined the Clippers, because he gets special treatment and still can't play when it matters.

[@hashbrown4278]

@@shorewallno he didn’t ruin the clippers at all

[@conhuevos8927]

RC Buford literally invented “Load Management” for his players to get rest. He’s was even called out by Adam Silver at a NBA meeting. So how were the Spurs stuck in their old ways with the Kawhi “injury”?

[@vinniechan]

The Spurs were winning 50,+ games while load managing as well

[@brushylake4606]

The difference is pretty simple. The Spurs were using load management on players in their mid thirties, extending careers. Kawhi was load managing in his mid-twenties. Also, some of the "load management" situations were simply protests against the NBA scheduling back-to-backs with only one day in between, four games in five nights and other similar issues.

[@damiester1]

@@brushylake4606 Kawhi's camp did Pop wrong lol

[@eddietheaggie2010]

@@brushylake4606 not simply "protests," though. That 2014 team, NOBODY averaged over 30mpg in the regular season, age notwithstanding.

[@brushylake4606]

@@eddietheaggie2010 Yes, you're right. I always hear on national broadcasts about how the Spurs bench always seems to be superior to the benches of other teams. Pop uses his bench players specifically during important points of the game so that they're ready to play when called upon. His attitude is "every player is earning their paycheck." That's why Kawhi not playing and not communicating with the team, his teammates, and fans was so infuriating. But, in interviews, Pop implied that that's why he sat players so often. I was at the Orlando game the year he sent Timmy, Manu, Tony, Kawhi, and Danny Green home on a commercial flight the next morning, before the evening game with LeBron's Heat. I remember specifically him being upset that they had two road back to backs with only one day rest between the back to backs. He was pissed that the NBA scheduled them for big national broadcasts on the second day of those back to backs.

[@shinerdrinker9249]

I had forgotten about watching part one. Pleasant surprise. Thanks!

[@mundzine]

Considering how little he's played with the clippers maybe the Spurs were right

[@RaulMartinez-gd3pw]

Or maybe his team was right. They were the ones wanting him to fully heal, while the Spurs wanted him to get back on the court.

[@burntsouffle]

I like how you just completely skipped Toronto.

[@djtrankilo231]

@Pungent Sauce probably because American NBA fans want to forget about 2019

[@PopOutPaulie]

@@burntsouffle Contract Yr... Of course he gonna go as hard as possible. Just saying

[@burntsouffle]

@@PopOutPaulie i dont see how that's relevant to OP's comment

[@simonhui5638]

So happy part 2 is out

[@ppiekoszewski1]

As a sports fan, it's always amazing to me how fantastic this channel is, and this 2-part series in particular has really broken down a this beef in a way that I'd never dug into before on my own. Kudos! As a Raptors fan: WE THE NORTH BAYBEEEEEE

[@holstorrsceadus1990]

Just came from a vid about everyone doing established titles promos and I just wanted to thank you guys for never making me sit through an ad read.

[@chenrayen]

I think players should def do what’s best for themselves, but the distance that Kawhi’s camp kept him away from the team just never sat right with me

[@AirRusher1992]

I've been waiting for Part 2 in two weeks so now here we are. I already said what I needed to say in Part 1 so I don't have to say it again here on Part 2. Now it's only a matter for Secret Base to make a Collapse video about the Spurs particularly their 2014 title team.

[@arjunrsrivatsa]

Thank you, Carl Johnson. Understood.

[@thedood7859]

What did you even say

[@AirRusher1992]

@@thedood7859 I said that I feel like Zaza deserved some blame for the eventual collapse of the Spurs.

[@randomtees]

​@@AirRusher1992 True, but my theory is that Kawhi lost trust in the Spurs because of what happened that postseason. Kawhi was hurt in the Rockets series, then the Spurs cleared him for Golden State game 1. He was briefly injured early in game 1, yet Pop had him return to the game. Not long after, Zaza "swept the leg" and Kawhi was done. He played, what, 8 games with the Spurs the next season before decided to leave town for good (during the season).

[@AirRusher1992]

@@randomtees 9 actually but you get the point.

[@thomasbikes]

Dude the love for the Spurs at SB is real. Even if it is drama filled it’s nice to see a big name on KZbin shedding some light on my Spurs. Go Spurs Go!!!!

[@BrokeMillionaire1]

Keep up the great work. This has become one of my favorite KZbin channels!

[@homerthompson416]

If Leonard would have just said it was about wanting to go back home to SoCal I think Spurs fans would have gotten over it after a year. But all the shots he and his uncle took at the team anonymously will keep Spurs fans forever hating him.

[@KIDTV-qe2dm]

Kawhi Leonard's press conference laugh deserves a rewind.

[@matthewcomfort5894]

Kawhi should have just manned up and said "I wanna go to LA". I'd have more respect for him. He had no reason to disparage the Spurs org on his way out

[@shawnhussain7713]

I get it completely and you’re ultimately right. Rockets fan here so no love for the spurs but Kawhi was younger then me when they traded him. I’m still figuring it out. He was a kid and it’s not easy

[@Damnitjim7]

It's not his fault, but the way it uprooted derozan just for him to leave at the end of that season and never really say what his intentions where made me lose alot of respect for him. But I'm also biased as a derozan fan

[@hashbrown4278]

@@Damnitjim7it was known he wanted to go to la. Even the raptors knew

[@robbpowell194]

You should dig into Uncle Dennis's negotiations with the Raps at the end of that season. He was off the chain. BTW. We all love KL up here. Load management worked out for everybody. He showed up in the playoffs when he needed to.. and we will always love him for it. Having said that.. we weren't nice to Vince Carter after he left. And he reciprocated by routinely torching us. It took a while but we have all kissed and made up.

[@Mister_Joker94]

Every week felt like torture not knowing whats gonna happen and why no one had any straight answers. I remember the hope we felt having him finally come back then just to leave again. We were on a rollercoaster of hope. I thought player meeting would've been a chance to clear the air. It was all very unfortunate we loved Kawhi and as fans couldn't understand why he didn't talk to us, or support the team. We did feel betrayed. We know we aren't LA or NY but we felt Kawhi belonged here on SA. The perfect fit and successor. He wanted to go to LA pop sent him out of the country. Then we had to watch a healthy fun guy ball out and hoist the trophy, just a slap to our face. So yeah we make sure he always remembers the Alamo city!

[@terencew7716]

Kawhi should still be with the Spurs if it wasn't for Uncle Dennis

[@AirRusher1992]

And Zaza too

[@socialistbatman1211]

He’d be there if Tony Parker never said what he did

[@AirRusher1992]

@@socialistbatman1211 Kinda forgot to mention that too.

[@sjaykay9884]

@@socialistbatman1211 and it must be mentioned that it was the spurs organization who put the battery in Tony and the other players’ back to “compel” Kawhi to come back and play. So Tony was doing that at the direction of the team. He just put too much sauce on it and turned Kawhi off

[@Motorsport101]

Magnificent work Joe.

[@egotrip995]

I could have sworn y'all made this already but sb NBA imma watch anyway!!!!!

[@HeroesHalfCourt]

I’m at the point where I don’t boo #2 anymore, but I will never forget or forgive how his antics turned Manu’s final years with us into a shell of what it deserved to be.

[@eddietheaggie2010]

This. That's kinda the other subtle angle that most outside of SA will miss. This city loves its stars, worshipped David Robinson and Tim Duncan, but the relationship with Manu was (and still is) a downright love affair. For a host of reasons. A lot of fans (such as myself) took it pretty dang personal that #20's swan song was completely waylaid by Kawhi's antics. 40+ year old Manu going out on his shield personally denying GSW the sweep while #2 couldn't even grace the bench with his presence? That's the juxtaposition most Spurs fans at the time will remember.

[@teen_laqueefa]

@@eddietheaggie2010 so are the women their REALLY big? I likes them big....

[@eddietheaggie2010]

@@teen_laqueefa LOL! We do have our gorditas 😂 Also a ton of sexy coeds and fit MILFs. San Antonio is a very big city lol someone for every taste around here!

[@teen_laqueefa]

@@eddietheaggie2010 alright!!!

[@Cynsham]

@@teen_laqueefa as a lifelong San Antonio resident I like to say "we live in America, there's a lot of big men and women everywhere." But that doesn't mean that I don't think the joke is funny and still laugh at it, I love Chuck.

[@JWickyJr13]

This whole thing was confusing at the time. I remember being stunned by this.

[@JH-dh7mb]

Loved this one !!

[@johnf1235]

Love your documentaries ❤

[@swpdisciple]

This situation is STILL so bizarre. I can only conclude that Kawhi wanted to get to Los Angeles and the relationship with San Antonio was collateral damage.

[@dannyhernandez265]

I mean would you choose to live in Los Angeles over San Antonio if you were rich? Ha ha.

[@swpdisciple]

@@dannyhernandez265 yeah but principle matters.

[@dannyhernandez265]

@@swpdisciple yeah the least Kawhi could have done was just to tell The Spurs he wanted to go to LA instead of complicating the situation.

[@jeddgangman4502]

The Spurs did their part to hurt the relationship

[@swpdisciple]

@@jeddgangman4502 they were patient.

[@wadedevinney9681]

Fun fact: Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson is Kawhi Leonard’s cousin

[@VivaElJeremy]

Stevie Johnson is the cousin to bay area California rapper Ya Boy

[@homerthompson416]

Another not so fun fact: Kawhi's sister murdered an elderly woman in a casino bathroom.

[@connorbeuy3691]

The game of zones episode surrounding this trade is unforgettable

[@deathstarstallion]

These two videos are really great. One thing that wasn't mentioned is how Pop wasn't even able to actually talk to Kawhi. He flew to California to meet with Kawhi but instead Uncle Dennis wouldn't let him and instead spoke for Kawhi. Popnever even got the chance to actually talk with Kawhi

[@blstar_]

PART 2 AYO WE TALKING TALKING love to see it

[@naheemquattlebaum2267]

Dennis wouldn't be the first relative to ruin a career...nor the last.

[@specialwhenlit8435]

As Fred Akers said in the Marcus Dupree "30 For 30"....."There's always an uncle" lol

[@hashbrown4278]

Except his career isn’t ruined

[@SirTimsta]

Yesss I was waiting for this, love the content 🔥

[@rogerszmodis]

I’ve had problems with my quadriceps tendon before and it hurt just to walk and took months to get better. Every time I thought it was healed it came right back after resuming normal activity. I cant even imagine trying to play professional basketball on that leg.

[@chrisbeach423]

Can we get a Beef History between Kawhi and playing basketball?!?

[@ZoeCalico]

"A love for traveling" Sounds like an NBA player for sure

[@abpeg5423]

Finally pt.2

[@iwillnever4getu]

a heart breaking saga for any spurs fan.. truly a what could have been for the ages

[@JL-dt1si]

Part 3 will be the injury mystery between Kawhi and the clippers

[@brixaabrixaa3390]

What mystery he tore his acl

[@JL-dt1si]

@@brixaabrixaa3390 my point stands

[@dannyhernandez265]

@@brixaabrixaa3390 “apparently”

[@TheMan750]

As a basketball fan and an uncle, I always hate the fact that there’s always an uncle involved

[@keandredennis6838]

Been waiting for this

[@corpyhogan4433]

Leonard, either should’ve stayed with San Antonio or stayed with the Raptors. Same way, LeBron and Kyrie should’ve stayed with Cleveland and durant should have stayed with OKC. A lot of these guys have overcomplicated their careers by moving around unnecessarily

[@jaron312]

Agreed

[@gators9570]

Lebron should have stayed in Miami

[@hashbrown4278]

They have the leverage to do what they want

[@ReCharredSigh]

I personally thought even if zaza never injured kawhi, that uncle dennis would still push kawhi towards la. Remember, the initial reason kawhi's camp gave for wanting to leave was san antonio couldn't get a competitive enough team (they struggled finding more pieces after aldridge). So why leave Toronto?

[@aw98000]

They were always going to leave the Spurs. Uncle Dennis just didn't have the balls to say it.

[@havesomefaitharthur9020]

Yes part 2!

[@malikshabazz2065]

great stuff!

[@stevencooke6451]

I'm not saying that this relationship could have been salvaged but his uncle is a true villain, an interfering, greedy hanger-on who unfortunately Kawai trusts. In Toronto we got one hell of a year out of him culminating in a championship we otherwise not have seen, but I feel bad for San Antonio fans who had to go through this. His uncle sort of jerked Toronto around after that year hoping to get the Clippers to give him more money and himself more perks. And he still hasn't been able to return this year after taking a one year injury sabbatical.

[@sandman1008]

The moment I heard about Manu and Parker’s comments on Kawhi’s injury, I knew he was done in SA. You don’t come back from that. Whether they were right or not, once you publicly blast someone like that, you’re burning the bridge. I would like to think they knew those comments would be the end, but that may have thought that was “tough love”, and it would have sparked him to return. But there was no way Kawhi would have been ok with those comments.

[@joshuaremo922]

That was the point of no return. I understood why Kawhi wouldn’t have it with the Spurs anymore

[@eddietheaggie2010]

@@joshuaremo922 Kawhi had long since made his decision by the time any of his teammates (who he was ghosting, lest we forget) commented on it. And those comments were tame af btw.

[@2019KAWHI]

@@eddietheaggie2010 kawhi had just answered reporters questions that year if he wanted to be a spur for life with “sure” so the narrative that he had plans to leave is pure bs. They backstabbed him to the media and the fact he won a chip the next year shows you how karma worked.

[@cuspcham]

We must have very different understanding and expectation of people. Because back then when I heard Parker's comment I thought, no need to beat around the bush. He's your teammate and he owed you an explanation. He's not a teenager, he could take it.

[@hashbrown4278]

@@cuspchamno

[@ElWagonne]

Top shelf analysis

[@Ofekad007]

dont forget the blue font color in the "goodbye" letter Great Vid!

[@richardjohnson3265]

As a born and raised native of SA. This whole thing was tough mainly cuz we were in the dark. We have had more than our fair share of winning and I think this situation was just so crazy to us cuz we thought the spurs were second to none as an organization. Aside from the pain I think the fans saw the writing on the wall that our glory days were over. I don’t think anyone had much faith in derozen and Aldridge Duo. If we had just blown it up then and gotten draft picks we would’ve had a shot at some truly great players that could’ve already put us back in contention by now. That’s what hurts the most. Hopefully we get Victor tho

[@ashtonoak4370]

One video wasnt enough 🤣🤣🤣🤣 For a quiet introverted NBA player. This mans actions are as loud as can be

[@sjaykay9884]

He wants the same superstar treatment as all the other superstars. He just doesn’t want to be the one caught saying it. Even with the clippers now he lives in San Diego and the plane has to wait for him to make the helicopter ride to the facility. It’s the perks of superstardom, but he also gets the benefit of being portrayed as a no frills type of guy when that’s the farthest thing from the truth

[@ashtonoak4370]

@SJay Kay duh. Its a joke. Your worthless rant means nothing as i didnt read it.

[@patrickadams3945]

Damn good job with this video

[@patrickadams3945]

As a Spurs fan

[@Heem_B]

This was great.

[@kumite2787]

Would love a Beef History of Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres!

[@patatoa]

I know you probably didn’t want to seem like you “picked a side” but no mention that the Spurs diagnosis was correct?

[@ceebee312]

What could’ve been ! Jus got to turn the page n look ahead for brighter days

[@cagonzal13]

From what I know was that after is injury to his quad the spurs wanted to give him an MRI and his uncle refused it. Kawi camp said the Spurs mis diagnossd his injury but the Spurs doctors never had a chance to fully examine him.

[@cookingwitchefzayy8830]

I guarantee nobody will name their baby Dennis in San Antonio ever again 😂😂😂

[@skl5838]

KL will be with the Clippers until the end of the 2024 to 2025 season. He refuses to have team doctors see him, consulting his own doctors, he demanded to leave the Spurs because of the mystery surrounding his medical condition. The Raptors have an excellent medical team yet KL refused to stay after his year with them was up. His supposed injuries with the Clippers have been diagnosed by KL's doctors, not the team. This man IMO, has managed to conceal perhaps a career-ending injury or injuries while living off lucrative contracts. I wonder which team he & his uncle will hoodwink next. Plus Popovich has said he is not a leader. Multimillion-dollard fraud, one would think.

[@shorewall]

1000%. KL is scamming the Clippers. Spurs called it when they said he had a degenerative knee issue. But KL had a vested interest in denying that diagnosis, so that he could trick an LA team into signing him and giving him that bag. I pray that teams can learn from the Clippers, but just like Kyrie is gonna get a big contract, I know some team will trade for or sign KL when the Clips get tired of him. My only comfort is that those teams will get exactly what they deserve.

[@justinbosmans3658]

Would’ve respected Kawhi so much more had he just flat out come out and say “I want to go back home to LA and play near home” as opposed to ducking the organization and trying to claim that the spurs medical staff didn’t have his best intentions in mind

[@coreythompsonTheOneandOnly]

"I'm all for a classic game 🎮🎯 of hide a seek" 👀🙈 man o man, this was funny as hell

[@lrgambe]

Honestly, all the statements from Kawhi's camp and uncle seemed like convenient excuses. They probably consulted a highly capable PR consultant. There is absolutely no way that the Spurs would risk the health of their franchise player as what has been shown in the long years Tim, Manu, and Tony spent with the Spurs. They've heavily invested on him and have called him many times as "the future". Although I do not blame Kawhi and his camp for prioritizing the business side of things, the treacherous manner as to how they carried out their exit was of the utmost unprofessionalism considering everything the team did for and in their behalf.

[@chevarcoleman]

All I heard in that brilliant piece was, paraphrasing, "Kawhi helped Toronto win it's first NBA title" Oh, his Uncle, can go eff himself

[@3912James]

We're going to need a Part 2 of Leonard's injuries.

[@kylebenbow431]

I thought the last one fell a little short. Glad there was a follow up.

[@Sayoreacts]

Kahwi is on pace to play just 9 games this season too

[@MrArtdelgado210]

Leonard is starting the same behavior (missing multiple games for mysterious injuries) with the Clippers and Popovich , Parker, and Ginobili's public comments regarding Leonard's behavior seems logical, and correct. I like how there's no mention of the fact the Spurs were paying Leonard millions as he was ghosting them publicly, no less.

[@lucianotecuanapa9853]

I agree he wanted ridiculous things with the Lakers too but they said no now look at the clippers

[@hashbrown4278]

@@lucianotecuanapa9853wrong clippers look better then the lakers

[@hashbrown4278]

Spurs weren’t correct at all

[@MrArtdelgado210]

@@hashbrown4278 of all the franchises in the league, the last team you'd accuse of pressuring a player back from injury too soon are the Spurs who have consistently erred on the side of caution, regardless of ranking, regular, or playoff standing. To suggestthe organization started behaving in such a way towards their franchise player, who they had already developed into the Finals MVP just isn't logical, especially given the team's consistent track record regarding rehab and slow integration back into rotation, and don't forget Coach Pop invented managing player minutes to ensure he had a healthy, well rested, injury free squad every post season. Any other franchise, yeah maybe buy not the Spurs.

[@benyoung8985]

Can yall do an air bud rewinder like the space jam one?

[@gustavojosuepenahernandez1590]

Thank you

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

*What if I told you that Kawhi Leonard is a more accomplished Brandon Roy?*

[@luridsilence]

Great channel, super entertaining, always love when these drop --but I gotta say in this specific instance, it seemed a little TOO pro-Kawhi. Look at how he's been with the Clippers and I don't think it's unfair to question whether he's really worth all the drama. It's sad, but... If the man can't play, then he needs to retire. It's not fair to treat him like any type of all time great, when he's only playing 60 games every other season or so.

[@Tim_Dunkin]

And now look the Clippers let Kawhi do what he wants but it results in bothing. Kawhi lives by load management to avoid injury only to still get injured over & over. Then recover play 5 on 5 & miss games bc "soreness", soreness that wouldn't be as severe if he actually played consistently. I'm not a Spurs fan but I'm a 🏀 fan & it's frustrating to see a "superstar" player sit randomly just bc they aren't feeling it that day.

[@hashbrown4278]

Are you a doctor? How do you know it won’t be as severe if he played consistently ?

[@Tim_Dunkin]

@hashbrown4278 Nah not a doctor at all. Strength & conditioning coach. Anyway, the body is very smart. Hands for example, ppl that do a lot of work with their bare hands develop calluses to protect the sensitive skin. Muscles don't callus h/e like the hands they get used to the physical activity & adjust accordingly to protect, decrease or prevent certain things as best as possible, one of those things being simple soreness. Inconsistency doesn't help that process, it hinders it.

[@daltonfarris]

How mean is it that i laughed reading the tweets after he said "for sure" (staying in san antonio his entire career).

[@pol44r]

Love Kawhi but he did the spurs so dirty here, he kept lying about the medical staff and now seeing his history with the clippers it looks like the spurs was right

[@matthewforbes2969]

Rewinder: David Beckham’s game winner in the 1999 champions league final Collapse: how the Montreal Canadiens failed to reach sniffing distance of lord Stanley for 28 years Rewinder: The miracle of Istanbul Untitled: Ted Williams Untitled: pavel Bure Untitled: Marcel Dionne Beef history: rangers vs Celtic Beef history: Real Madrid vs Barcelona Rewinder: Sidney Crosby’s golden goal Collapse: how Arsenal went from the kings Of London to fledgling mediocrity Rewinder: 2010 World Cup final Untitled: Johan Cruyff in the World Cup Untitled: Ronaldo Lima in the champions league Rewinder: Marc Andre fleury’s Cup winning save in 2009

[@fsmoke7495]

Untitled: Steven Gerard in the premier league Beef History: Yaya Toure vs Man City Rewinder: Pig head thrown at Luis Figo

[@bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee]

When did Beckham score a game winner in the UCL Final

[@carlosleonardo88]

I was about to ask the same thing. Solskjær was the one who scored the game winner against Bayern.

[@brientaylorcohen]

Again, none of those sports are basketball. You'll have better luck with SB if you suggest *any* NBA star / team.

[@musyarofah1]

Untitled: Zlatan Ibrahimovic and UCL

[@russellst.martin4255]

With the amount of times I've seen that Slash commercial on this channel lately you might as well do a collapse on Guns N Roses

[@Whoknowsx1234]

Who’s here after pop told the fans to stop booing lmao

[@DigitaIJustice]

For everything that happens with Kawhi, he is always my favorite player to watch.

[@brightBoss]

Unfortunately you don't get to watch him often

[@DigitaIJustice]

@@brightBoss or at all.

[@hashbrown4278]

@@brightBosswrong

[@XxXFlyingArmBarXxX]

The OG Street Clothes

[@cojack636]

😂

[@chazhovnanian6897]

I realllyyyyy wish u made this video before I drafted my fantasy team 🙃🙃🙃🙃

[@AidenBF56]

The legend of ‘Street Clothes’ begins…

[@charleskummerer]

It's kind of obvious over the years that Kawhi was in the wrong the whole time and his legacy absolutely should take a major hit for how he handled everything

[@brixaabrixaa3390]

Except Danny green said spurs misdiagnosed him too 😂

[@charleskummerer]

@@brixaabrixaa3390 Danny washed as hell and just was looking for a bs excuse for the end of his career

[@One.Love_]

@@brixaabrixaa3390 lol no winning here, everyone is being biased because they're San Antonio fans. On a human level you put your health first, NO MATTER WHAT. When people you trust start to put a sport (No matter how important you feel it is) over your well being, then you start to question whether they really ever cared for you. And then when the shots through the media get thrown in, that's enough to tamper a relationship. Wish him the best, hope he gets healthy although seems unlikely at this point. Either way, he's already had a hall of fame career he can be proud of.

[@hashbrown4278]

Wrong. As you can see the spurs suck

[@hashbrown4278]

@@charleskummererbut if Danny said the spurs were right you’d have good things to say about him 😂. What a joke. Spurs suck now

[@aaronghunter]

I'm still sad about IT, and I only hope Kawhi has one more good stretch ahead of him, so he can close out his career on a triumphant high. Ossification is no joke, and clearly his legs have been through a world of pain. Also, San Antonio is doing pretty cool development every year with their young talent. I love how they shipped off a young all-star and have immediately started working on another one.

[@aw98000]

No, he should never succeed again. The Toronto title was too good for his bullshit.

[@hashbrown4278]

@@aw98000wrong. Toronto chip was karma for the spurs

[@robertmoore4424]

What is sad is I been a Spurs fan since 1990 but when KL was acting funny I knew it was time . His body language

[@DESOUSAB]

Raptors fan here. I thought I was pretty familiar with all that had transpired in the Spurs/Kawhi saga - but I was wrong. I've never seen it reported that the "other" docs Kawhi was working with were affiliated with the 76'ers. That goes a long way to explaining why the Spurs might not be cool with that second opinion...

[@TheCman183]

It was always about getting out of SA and moving to LA for him and his daddy uncle.