Kawhi Leonard set the Intuit Dome on fire
Selected to participate in the All-Star Game, Kawhi Leonard was playing at home, and the Clippers wing had the biggest performance of this new-look All-Star game. During the meeting against the world teamLeonard scored 31 of his team’s 48 points…in twelve minutes!
“I was just having fun. I was shooting.” he replied about this “quarter” of fire. “It was great. I’m glad Adam (Silver) let me come. That’s what the crowd wanted to see. I’m glad I was able to do something in this match. I grew up coming here, going to the Convention Center, watching the stars walk and dreaming of being in their shoes. I wanted to take the opportunity to play well and make the most of it. I was happy to be able to do that this year in LA.”
For or against the new format?
To the sound of “MVP, MVP, MVP,” Leonard made Team World call it quits, but like others, he’d like to see the NBA return to an East-West format. “I thought it was good, but we didn’t really understand how it worked until we got here. Even during the game, we were trying to figure out the rules: Was it by points? Away? Ke still thinks going back to the East-West format would be great. I think the guys would keep fighting.”
The fact remains that we finally saw competition in the All-Star Game, something the classic East-West format hasn’t offered in years.
“If the format forces us to play well, then we can continue like this. Personally, I think two teams and four quarters is good.” he insists. “But it’s different: you play 12 minutes, then you rest for 15 or 20 minutes, then you play another game against another opponent. It’s different, but it’s like basketball on the court. If your team wins, you stay on the court. It was fun, I enjoyed it.”
2026-02-16 05:37:00
