San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard cut his braids off

San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard is almost unrecognizable now. That’s because he cut his trademark braids off. What’s going on with the NBA?

After seeing the Golden State Warriors win the 2017 NBA Championship with its four-man super team, the NBA has pretty much lost its collective mind. LeBron James decided to enter his bald Britney Spears phase of his life. Dan Gilbert wasn’t down with giving David Griffin a contract extension.

The Philadelphia 76ers now have the No. 1 pick. Brook Lopez doesn’t play for the Brooklyn Nets anymore. Dwight Howard got traded to the Charlotte Hornets during a Twitter AMA. Then Kawhi Leonard cut his braids off. What is going on, NBA?

A photo of Leonard surfaced late on Tuesday night with him and three gentleman hanging out in a gym. It’s difficult tell that it is Leonard without his trademark braids. His facial features and the Klaw logo on his shirt lets the internet that it is Leonard in that photograph.

Leonard’s braids were most definitely part of his all-around game. They helped him stand out as the soft-spoken small forward in San Antonio. Hearing Leonard speak aloud was a rare treat, as he preferred his play and his braids do the talking for him.

Now he will have to double-down on his all-around great play at small forward as he is sans braids. Cornrows were definitely in style when Leonard was in high school and starring for Steve Fisher in college for the San Diego State Aztecs. He brought them and his great defensive tenacity to Texas as a rookie.

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When Tim Duncan retired, it was assumed that Leonard and his braids would lead the Spurs into another era. Now that the braids are gone, it’s just kind of a sad day. It would be on par with that one time that Larry Bird shaved off his platinum blonde mustache back in the day. The basketball world lost its mind today and Leonard lost his braids. RIP Kawhi’s braids, indeed.