Since his rise to greatness in San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi Leonard's play-style and will to win was often compared to "His Airness" Michael Jordan.

The comparison of Kawhi Leonard to Michael Jordan even reached the national level when the league handed Doc Rivers a $50,000 tampering fine during the 2019 postseason when he compared Kawhi to Jordan during the playoffs.

Kawhi Leonard: Following the Footsteps of 'His Airness'

According to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation, the college coach of Kawhi Leonard revealed that the similarities between "The Klaw" and MJ were a product of Kawhi's relentless obsession with Jordan that could be traced back to his college days.

In 2019, an article from the Athletic's Jayson Jenks revealed that Kawhi Leonard has studied Michael Jordan films relentlessly.

The assistant coach of Kawhi Leonard at San Diego State University, Dave Velazquez, told The Athletic that the minute Kawhi finished a game, he would be automatically going on his phone and watching a Michael Jordan film. 

Velazquez noted that instead of using the phone texting or making calls, Kawhi used it in studying the moves of "His Airness."

Kawhi's college teammate LaBradford Franklin also shared a similar story with The Athletic.

"I'm Mike. You like LeBron, you like Kobe? Yeah, they're cool, but I'm Mike. I want to be the best, the greatest," Franklin stated of what Kawhi usually said to his teammates.

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'The Klaw' Joining Michael Jordan's Elite Company

After his 10th year in the league and the years for his relentless pursuit of Jordan's greatness, Kawhi Leonard has bagged 2 NBA Championship titles, 2 Finals MVP awards, 2 Defensive Player Of the Year awards, 7 All-Defense awards, 5 All-NBA awards, 5 All-Star selections, and 1 All-Star Game MVP. 

After winning the 2020 ASG MVP award, the 30-year-old NBA star joined Michael Jordan as the only two players in NBA history with a Finals MVP, DPOY award, and ASG MVP.

Giannis Antetokounmpo only joined the company after the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2021 NBA Championship, wherein he won the Finals MVP.

In his 11 games during the 2021 playoffs, before he got hurt, Kawhi Leonard was putting up historic numbers. The Klaw averaged 30 PPG while shooting 57 percent from the field in the 2021 playoffs. 

He was on the pace of joining Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul Jabbar as the only players in NBA history to average at least 30 PPG and 7 RPG and shooting at least 57 percent from the field in a single game playoff run.

Due to his post-season-ending injury in the second round against the Utah Jazz, Kawhi will most likely be out the entirety of next season. 

Kawhi Leonard would be back with a vengeance since he would have plenty of time watching Michael Jordan films before he could return to the court in further pursuit of MJ's greatness.

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Written by: Jess Smith

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