Leonard is all business when he’s playing basketball.
Kawhi Leonard is a man few words so it wasn’t too much surprise when a report came out that The Klaw used to have some bizarre catchphrases when taunting his opponents during his time at San Diego State. One those chirps had to do with Leonard’s incredible ability to secure rebounds on the fensive and defensive sides the ball.
“If I heard it once, I heard it 50 times. ‘Board man. I’m a board man,'” SDS assistant coach Justin Houston told The Athletic’s Jayson Jenks. “That’s what he said. Absolutely. ‘I’m a board man. Yeah, I’m a board man. Board man gets paid.’ He spoke in phrases like that.”
After last night’s Raptors win, one reporter asked Leonard about his trash talk and whether or not the report was true. As it turns out, Leonard confirmed everything to be true and even explained why he used to talk like that.
“I used to say that back when I was in high school and college. You know, just wanting to get to this league,” Leonard said. “It’s about working hard, basically, outworking the opponent. Rebounds help you win games. Big rebounds, fensive rebounds, limiting the team to one shot and that used to be our motto.”
So far, Kawhi’s approach to the game has worked for him as he’s already won one NBA Title and is two games away from another.