Kawhi Leonard will stay with the Clippers for the foreseeable future as the team announced on Wednesday that they had signed him to a contract extension.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, it’s a three-year, $153 million contract extension.
Leonard had a player option after this season on the four-year, $176 million max contract he signed with the Clippers in 2021.
The 32-year-old is a two-time Finals MVP (2014, 2019), five-time All-Star (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021), five-time All-NBA Team selection (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021), two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016) and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
“We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with Kawhi. He is an elite player, a terrific partner and a relentless worker who knows how to win and makes it his first priority,” said Clippers president of basketball Lawrence Frank in a press release. “He elevated our franchise from the moment he arrived. We feel fortunate that Kawhi chose to join the Clippers five years ago, and excited to keep building with him.”
The Moreno Valley, Calif. native has appeared in 660 career games across 12 NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, and LA Clippers, holding averages of 19.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals.
Leonard is the third-winningest player in the history of the NBA, with a regular-season record of 483-177.
A two-time NBA Champion, Leonard is one of 12 players in NBA history with multiple Finals MVPs, appearing in 137 postseason games while averaging 21.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals. Regarded as one of the game’s greatest two-way players, Leonard has been selected to seven All-Defensive Teams (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021) and is one of three players in NBA history to win a Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year Award and All-Star Game MVP (2020).
This season, Leonard, the team’s leading scorer, averaging 23.8 points per contest. Right now, the Clippers are red hot as they have won six of their last seven and are 15-3 over the last 18 games.
After the acquisition of James Harden, the Clippers are now playing like a team that can compete for an NBA title, and if Leonard can stay healthy, which he has done to this point, Los Angeles will be a tough out in the playoffs.
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