Five years after the San Antonio Spurs granted Kawhi Leonard’s trade request, the home crowd at the Frost Bank Center continued to boo the Los Angeles Clippers star when he touched the ball during Wednesday’s clash.
Longtime Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich took the mic during the second quarter and asked spectators to stop booing Leonard in between the two-time Finals MVP’s free-throw attempts.
Leonard had no issues with the reception he received from the Spurs faithful.
“If I don’t have a Spurs jersey on, they’re probably going to boo me the rest of my career,” Leonard said postgame, according to ESPN’s Andrew Lopez. “But … like I said, they’re one of the best fans in the league and they’re very competitive.”
Leonard added: “Once I step out on this basketball court out here, they show that they’re going for the other side. When I’m on the streets or going into restaurants, they show love. So it is what it is.”