Kawhi Leonard has consistently been one of the best two-way players in the entire NBA over the last little while and as of right now, he is signed to the sneaker and sports apparel brand, New Balance. Before that, Leonard was a part of Nike and Jordan Brand where he had his very own logo known as the "Klaw." Leonard has been adamant over the years that he created the logo and has tried to use it for his own brand. However, Nike hasn't appreciated this and a few years ago, hit him with a cease and desist.

Back in June of 2019, Leonard sued Nike for the rights to use the logo although Nike countersued him back. According to Oregon Live, a judge has made a ruling in the case. Essentially, Leonard's motion against Nike has been dismissed, with the just stating how Nike's official "Klaw" logo is different from the one Leonard drew himself.

Kawhi Leonard went on a dominant run in the 2019 NBA playoffs with the Toronto Raptors. He helped the team win their first-ever championship and he ended up with Finals MVP honors in the process. Perhaps his most shining moment in the playoffs was when he dropped a game-winning buzzer-beater in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. It propelled his team to an unlikely victory that remains the best moment in Raptors history.

When Leonard took the shot, it made numerous bounces before dropping. Photographer Mark Blinch was able to capture the moment in which everyone on the court began reacting to the shot before it dropped. These reactions are all over the place and they make for a photo as iconic as the basket itself.

Blinch's efforts were rewarded recently as it was revealed that his photo won the "Best Sports Photo Of The Year" award for World Press Photo.

Stephen A. Smith is easily one of the most opinionated voices in all of sports media and continues to provide his hot takes on ESPN's First Take. Surprisingly, the show is still providing daily content despite the fact that there are no sports on due to the Coronavirus. Regardless, Smith has been providing us with lots of great entertainment and we are very grateful for all of it.

Today, there was a particularly interesting topic that was brought up. The panelists were asked to debate who is the player closest to Michael Jordan in sports, today. Smith surprised his co-hosts by saying he thinks Kawhi Leonard fits that bill the best. His reasoning was quite simple. While he doesn't think Kawhi is as good as Jordan, or as successful, he feels like their games are extremely similar. Simply put, Kawhi can be an elite scorer while also providing lockdown defense.

New Balance and Kawhi Leonard are reportedly preparing to drop an eye-catching “Sunrise Pack” next week, featuring the same three sneakers that were included in the collaborative “Sundown Pack” that released earlier this month. This time around the New Balance OMN1S, 997 Sport, and 850 come outfitted with yellow and peach detailing to contrast the black base.

Image Via SVD

As seen in the photo embedded above, the OMN1S (priced at $140) boasts a mismatched design with the peach and yellow accents swapped between the left and right shoe.

The New Balance 997 Sport ($100) is the least colorful of the bunch, coming equipped with a predominately black build throughout the mesh and leather construction. Peach detailing appears on the toe while yellow handles the branding, inner lining and heel portion of the outsole. Lastly, the New Balance 850 ($110) consists of black, peach and volt yellow spread out fairly evenly atop a white midsole.

Look for the Kawhi x New Balance “Sunrise Pack” to launch next Thursday, March 26th NewBalance.com, as well as spots like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Finish Line.

Image Via SVD

Image Via SVD

Image Via SVD

Image Via SVD

Image Via SVD

Image Via SVD

Image Via SVD

Image Via SVD

LeBron James will go down as one of the best basketball players to ever walk onto an NBA court. Having said that, there have been discussions over the last couple of years in regards to how badly he wants to win a fourth championship. Some think the King has gone soft in his old age although his teammates would certainly disagree with this notion. 

Earlier in the season, LeBron was being dominated by Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers. It was speculated that LeBron didn’t want the smoke with Kawhi and that he would rather guard someone else. In a recent report from LZ Granderson of the Los Angeles Times, Lakers assistant coach Phil handy spoke about LeBron and how he was targeting Kawhi prior to Sunday’s win. In the end, the strategy worked out as the Lakers won convincingly.

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“People forget what he gets like after the All-Star break; he’s a different guy,” Handy said. “He’s preparing himself for that — that’s what you saw today and Milwaukee, you see him saying ‘Let me get myself and help my team in the right frame of mind.’ So for him diving on the floor for loose balls and taking the challenge defensively, that’s what you see. Last night I texted LeBron and asked him who he wanted to guard and he texted back, ‘I’m guarding Kawhi [Leonard].’ ”

LeBron and Kawhi could be on track for a playoff matchup and if this were to happen, we can only imagine what kind of narratives would come from it all. If this were the case, who do you think would win? Let us know in the comments.

Jared Dudley has been one of the best locker room guys in the NBA over the last few seasons. While he doesn’t exactly get a ton of playing time or score a lot of points, you can always count on Dudley to bring his team together and get them ready for any challenge that may come their way. His experience has been worth a lot on the Los Angeles Lakers this season and it’s clear that the team loves him.

After yesterday’s big win against the Los Angeles Clippers, Dudley was walking around Los Angeles where he was met by a TMZ cameraman. During the exchange, Dudley spoke about the coronavirus and what the Lakers are doing to combat it. In the middle of the interview, a man in a car drove the wrong way on a one-way street just so he could yell “Fuck Kawhi.”

Of course, Kawhi Leonard is the Lakers’ biggest obstacle right now in terms of going to the NBA Finals. It remains to be seen whether or not the Lakers can dismantle the Clippers come playoff time although we can’t wait to find out. As for the fan, Dudley seemed impressed by his determination although didn’t exactly recommend the breaking of Los Angeles motor laws.

Moving forward, who do you have going farther in the postseason: the Lakers or Clippers?

Kawhi Leonard was the biggest free agent on the market last summer and in the end, he ended up choosing the Los Angeles Clippers which realistically, was a foregone conclusion. We all knew Leonard wanted to play in Los Angeles although it was to be determined whether or not he preferred the Lakers or Clippers. Considering the Lakers already had Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the Clippers seemed like the clear cut choice. 

Now, the Clippers are near the top of the Western Conference and have a real chance to do some damage come playoff time. In a recent report from Royce Young of ESPN, Leonard was asked about the Clippers potential and where he thinks they can go. As you can see based on his answer, even Leonard doesn’t know what this team’s ceiling is.

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

“I don’t know,” Leonard said. “Because I don’t know what our potential is. You never know how good a team can be. But we’re going to strive to be the best team we can. We’re not complacent. We want to keep getting better and hopefully reach the goal.”

The Clippers started the season with some apparent chemistry issues but quickly got things together as the season went on. Now, the team is practically unstoppable when both Leonard and George are in the lineup. If there is any team that can beat the Lakers in a seven-game series, it would be the Clippers.

Player empowerment has been one of the biggest topics in basketball over the last couple of years. Unlike many other sports, basketball players have the ability to request trades seemingly at random and end up getting what they want. Players are able to create superteams and get massive contracts compared to their teammates. Over the years, it has become clear that the players have all the power and the general managers are simply sitting ducks who must do everything to keep their stars happy.

Kawhi Leonard is a solid example of this trend. Back in 2018, Leonard was able to force his way out of San Antonio after they mishandled his injury. This inciting incident was recently talked about by Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports. In his report, he notes that this particular issue had GM’s clutching their pearls.

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Per NBC Sports:

“So, what’s going on here? Polling some executives over the past few weeks, it’s clear that the league over the years has shifted the power structure to appear more player-centric, erring on the side of caution to protect their star player and also demonstrate a certain appreciation for the player’s long-term career.

As for the origin of this recent trend, several pointed to a single event: Kawhi Leonard forcing his way out of San Antonio in 2018 after a disagreement over how to handle his quad issue.

“Kawhi scared the living hell out of everyone,” said one GM. “If it can happen to the Spurs, it can happen to anybody.””

Kawhi eventually got traded to the Toronto Raptors and helped them win a championship. Now, he’s on the Los Angeles Clippers and is about to the same. Clearly, player empowerment is working as long as you’re not the GM on the wrong side of it.

Kawhi Leonard had a big decision to make last summer. In the end, he opted to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and become the face of the franchise. So far, his tenure has been a success as the Clippers boast a record of 39-19 and are third in the Western Conference standings. Los Angeles is a place Leonard called home for many years so his marriage with the Clippers has been a natural progression of his career. Now that he's back in L.A., Leonard has been doing wonders for his community and at every opportunity, he's tried to give back. With this in mind, it shouldn't be surprising that Leonard has yet another big charitable gesture planned.

According to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, Leonard will be giving out backpacks to everyone at tonight's Clippers game. Inside the backpack, there will be a note that tells people to "pay it forward" and fill the bag with goods so they can then donate them to someone in need. Leonard will also be handing out bags, Chromebooks, and school supplies to kids and teachers at Palm Middle School which he used to attend.

New Balance's resurgence in the basketball space reached new heights on Thursday, as the Boston-based brand announced a multi-year partnership with the NBA, that will make New Balance an official marketing partner of the league. 

As part of the deal, New Balance will create authentic broadcast, digital and retail content featuring New Balance-sponsored athletes, such as Los Angeles Clippers All Star Kawhi Leonard, in their respective NBA uniforms and team logos. New Balance will celebrate the new deal with their "We Got Now" global brand campaign featuring Kawhi which will air during the Denver Nuggets at LA Clippers game on Friday, February 28th at 10:30pm ET ESPN.

Take an early look at the spot in the video embedded below.

New Balance just recently launched Kawhi's first-ever signature basketball shoe, simply named the "KAWHI," during the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago. Others on the growing New Balance roster include San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray and Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Darius Bazley.

“New Balance officially re-entered basketball when NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard walked on-court for the NBA All-Star Game in 2019,” said Chris Davis, Vice President of Global Marketing at New Balance.  “Now, one year later, we are excited to further solidify our position in the global basketball community by collaborating with the NBA as an official long term, strategic partner in order to continue to enhance our position as a leading athletic brand. This relationship ingrains New Balance into the NBA’s global presence, a fandom and culture that transcends sport and is significantly larger than the game of basketball.”