Former NBA champion humbly envies Kawhi Leonard, compares the similarities with him: “Kawhi took it to the next level…That’s what I wanted to be”

LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard's ability as a two-way superstar has made former NBA champion Metta World Peace a fan.

During his 10-year career, Leonard has dominated both sides of the court. He possesses the offensive ability to be a go-to scorer. At the same time, Leonard has been one of the league's top defensive wings.

It's gained the respect of Metta World Peace, who was a similar asset on the hardwood. Throughout his 17 years, he was known for his defensive dominance. World Peace started to blossom with the Indiana Pacers from 2001-06. He was a two-way forward who had the ability to defend multiple positions at a high level.

After the infamous "Malice at the Palace" in November 2004, World Peace saw his career take a hit. He still went on to win a championship with the LA Lakers in 2010, but his image had been tarnished.

Speaking recently to The Sporting Tribune's Arash Markazi, Metta World Peace spoke about how he admires Kawhi Leonard's abilities:

"Kawhi's had a great career. ... I wanted to be like him. I won’t ever tell him that to his face, because I’m supercompetitive, but he is the type of player that if my career went right, that’s who you see. You see Kawhi."

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LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard remains sidelined

LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard

It's not difficult to see the similarities between Kawhi Leonard and Metta World Peace on the court. Both had the ability to take over games offensively. But their play on the defensive side of the ball is what made them truly special.

The LA Clippers came into this season as a popular pick to make a run in the Western Conference. It hasn't been the start to the regular season that the Clippers (6-5) had hoped for.

Despite Monday night's 119-117 impressive win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the status of their superstar forward has become the biggest story of the season.

Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season while recovering from an ACL injury. The expectation was that Leonard would be healthy and ready to go for the upcoming year. Instead, Leonard has found himself missing an extended number of games to start the year.

The 31-year-old superstar has missed eight consecutive games. The Clippers have said that Leonard is out due to soreness in his knee, the same one that had the ACL injury.

In the two games in which Leonard has been on the court, he's shown flashes in limited minutes. He's averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and shooting 44.4%, but just 16.7% from 3-point range.