Top 30 athletes under 30
By Robert Judin
28. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs – 24 years old
He’s probably one of less than a handful of people in the National Basketball Association capable of guarding LeBron James. Can … can we just rise up and give Kawhi Leonard a standing ovation for that alone? That’s pretty remarkable.
Obviously, though, he’s done more than just that to land himself onto this list. Having Gregg Popovich as your head coach is kind of an unfair advantage, but we’ll allow Leonard to keep his status because, hey, he’s earned it.
His rookie season wasn’t anything to marvel at. He only averaged eight points, five rebounds and shot 49 percent from the field. The important thing is he continued to improve. Leonard has increased is points per game, rebounds per game and field goal percentage in the first three years he’s been in the league.
During the 2013-14 season, Leonard stepped up in the playoffs to help the Spurs get revenge against the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals. Leonard earned the Bill Russell Award as the NBA Finals’ Most Valuable Player.
Before that series began most people would have expected Tony Parker or Tim Duncan to take that honor if the Spurs won, but Leonard stole the show. After only scoring nine points in each of game one and game two during the series, Leonard surged for 29 points in game three. He followed that performance with another 20 points in game four and 22 points in game five.
With Duncan and Manu Ginobili nearing the ends of their careers, Leonard will clearly be the focal point of the Spurs moving forward. Parker and the newly acquired LaMarcus Aldridge will be there to help him out, but he’s becoming a star before our very eyes.
Next: No. 27 Steven Stamkos