Player reactions after Raptors win Canada's first NBA championship
OAKLAND, Calif. - Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard joined elite company on Thursday by winning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award for the second time after his team’s championship victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Leonard, who also won the award in 2014 while playing for the San Antonio Spurs, joins basketball greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to win Finals MVP with two different franchises.Playing in his first season with Toronto, Leonard averaged 28.5 points during the best-of-seven Finals, leading Canada’s only NBA team to a 4-2 series upset of two-time defending champions Golden State.
The focal point of the Raptors offense throughout the Finals, he took the playmaking responsibilities on his shoulders and shrugged off Golden State’s efforts to slow him down. When Leonard arrived, he was coming off a season in which he missed all but nine games with a quadriceps issue and it was no great secret that his preferred destination was his birthplace of Los Angeles.“I texted Kyle probably a day later — or the day that I got traded and told him I said let’s go out and do something special. I know your best friend left, I know you’re mad, but let’s make this thing work out. And we are here today.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Raptors forward Leonard named NBA Finals Most Valuable PlayerToronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Pla...
Read more »
List of NBA Finals MVP winnersList of NBA Finals Most Valuable Player winners:
Read more »
Toronto Raptors Defeat Golden State Warriors in NBA FinalsThe Raptors won the series 4-2, denying the Warriors what would have been a third straight championship.
Read more »
Toronto Raptors Cheat Sheet: What You Need to Know Ahead of the NBA FinalsWHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE! The Toronto Raptors have made it to the NBA finals for the first time ever in their 24-year history, and it seems the city has nev
Read more »
A Canadian invented basketball -- and his hometown erupts with joy after Raptors' historic winFor the first time, the NBA champions are from Canada -- the home country of the man who invented the sport
Read more »
Will You Ever Be as Happy about Anything as Drake Is about the Raptors Win?Watch Drake celebrate the Raptors' championship
Read more »