Kawhi Leonard gives major props to 6-foot-3 teammate who inspires him defensively

On Thursday, Kawhi Leonard expressed his appreciation for his teammates following the LA Clippers' impressive 117-83 victory over the Denver Nuggets. He recognized several players for their contributions, but particularly highlighted Kris Dunn for his outstanding defensive skills.

After their first playoff match at the Intuit Dome, Leonard was seen praising his teammates for helping him out defensively. Explaining how they inspired him to do better, the Klaw reserved special plaudits for Kriss Dunn:

"It’s guys on the floor that want to guard. They’re not just pointing at me and telling me to take him… They motivate me defensively. Especially Kris Dunn," he said.

Leonard also showed love to his frontcourt during the press conference as he gave credit to Derrick Jones Jr. and Ivica Zubac for their defensive contributions:

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"Derrick Jones coming in, and Zu being that back line. They just want to play. They motivate me to play. I think that’s where it comes from. You see guys digging in deep and want to guard, it trickles down to everyone on the floor," he continued to express.

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The two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner laid huge praise on his teammates as they locked down the Denver Nuggets to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Limiting the Colorado team to a meager 14 points in the final quarter, the Clippers showed defensive resilience and heart to take down Jokic and Co.

Kawhi Leonard takes a sly dig at NBA sponsor drink after famous win in Game 3

Kawhi Leonard seemingly took a dig at the NBA's sponsor drink, Gatorade, during the post-match press conference on Thursday. The forward was seen removing all their bottles from the table after his team's Game 3 win against the Denver Nuggets.

Placing all the bottles at the bottom of the press table, Leonard shared his honest opinions about the drink:

"Kids don’t need to be drinking these," he said.

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Rejecting any association with the drink, Kawhi Leonard openly shared his thoughts on the product after the Clippers achieved a historic victory in Los Angeles.

The win against the Nuggets marked the team's first-ever playoff victory at the Intuit Dome, and they did so in a convincing manner, winning by 34 points.

About the author

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra