TORONTO – Kawhi Leonard doesn’t want to talk about the past, instead he is looking to the future with a young Toronto Raptors team that could help him cement his legacy as one of the NBA’s all-time greats.
Leonard opened his media availability with Toronto media on Monday with a brief statement explaining that he didn’t want to discuss the league’s investigation or subsequent punishment of him and the Los Angeles Clippers for salary cap circumvention.
That investigation paused the trade between the Raptors and Clippers for more than two months, but eventually went through to bring Leonard back to Toronto where he was a part of the 2019 NBA championship team.
“I think the best decision is to move forward and focus on my time being a Toronto Raptor,” Leonard said. “I already was a distraction for the past 70 days, and wasn’t able to meet my teammates, do any of that mini-camp stuff with them.
“Moving forward, I just want to talk about the Toronto Raptors.”
Leonard only played one season with the Raptors but had an immediate impact, elevating Toronto from a contender to a champion in the 2018-19 season. When his contract expired that off-season, he decided to sign a deal with his hometown Clippers.
After opting out of the final year of that contract, Leonard re-signed with the Clippers in August 2021 to a max four-year, US$176.3 million contract with the fourth year being a player option. He missed the entire 2021-22 season, however, with a partial anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee.
That 2021 contract became embroiled in controversy after allegations emerged in September 2025 that Leonard signed a $28 million “no-show” endorsement deal with Aspiration, an environmental company that entered bankruptcy in March 2025 after co-founder Joe Sanberg was arrested and charged with fraud.
The Raptors remained competitive in the COVID-pandemic shortened 2019-2020 season with a 53-19 record and an Eastern Conference semifinal exit. Leonard said on Monday that he didn’t regret leaving for Los Angeles back in 2019 because it gave him lifelong memories with his family.
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“I really don’t go back and think too much about it,” said Leonard. “I’m a big family guy, I had a lot of older people in my family that I was able to spend time with that passed away. Just seeing babies be born that are cousins and nieces, all that was all great for me.
“Those times are cherished and to be able to see family and hug them before they pass or go away, it doesn’t make me think about the basketball aspect of it too much.”
Leonard’s on-court tenure with the Clippers was not particularly successful. Although they reached the Western Conference final in 2020-21, they also had three first-round exits in his seven seasons with the club.
Los Angeles had a 42-40 record last season and missed the playoffs despite Leonard having his most productive offensive season.
He averaged 27.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.4 blocks over 65 regular-season games last year with the Clippers and was named to the NBA’s second all-star team.
“I feel good, I was an All-NBA player, played in 65 games last year,” said the oft-injured Leonard. “Hopefully this year I could play more, and even build on that, adding games in the playoffs, and making that run long as well.
“But currently feeling good, feeling healthy, and you know, God willing, hopefully I could keep going that way.”
Leonard’s injury history includes quadriceps and hand problems early in his career with the San Antonio Spurs, multiple ankle sprains, a torn ACL, a torn meniscus, chronic knee inflammation and soreness, and numerous muscle, thigh, hip, foot and other minor injuries.
Part of his success with Toronto in 2018-19 was due to the work of Alex McKechnie, the Raptors vice-president of player health and performance. McKechnie used “load management” to try and limit Leonard’s time on the court, with the star forward often missing one of the games in a back-to-back to ensure that the had time to properly recover.
“I want Kawhi to play 82 games and 48 minutes every night but reality is his age and his history with injuries,” said Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic. “We have to be super smart. We’re not going to take any short-term plan. We’re going to have the big picture in mind”
The Raptors finished with a 46-36 record last season and pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in their first-round playoff series. Toronto had the fifth-best defensive rating in the NBA in the regular season, making the defence-first Leonard a perfect fit.
Leonard said that he was happy to be on a team with an upward trajectory.
“I need pressure, or I need a winning situation,” said Leonard. “I want to win. I want to try and win, but I’m not forcing or like pushing for that.
“I like to be in a winning environment, and I think feel like they give me that here.”
Leonard also said that returning to Toronto was an opportunity to cement his legacy in NBA history.
“That was a big part of it, the fans, legacy,” said Leonard. “Doing something, doing the impossible here, and just the energy of the city. I really enjoyed it.
“The people walking around were nice even before we won.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press