Kawhi Leonard Certainly Looked Like A Player That Knows He Pulled Off An All Time Heist While Discussing His Scandal At Media Day

Cole Burston. Getty Images.

The Toronto Raptors head into the new 2026-27 NBA season with some heightened expectations as a team poised to take a real leap and contend for at least a top 4 seed in a loaded Eastern Conference. Coming off their 46 win season last year and adding a for-the-moment healthy Kawhi Leonard, I don't think that's all that crazy. Let's not forget, the Raptors owned the 5th best defense in the NBA last season and were just outside of the top 10 in net rating, mostly because their offense was middle of the pack (15th). You add an incredible two-way player in Kawhi who should definitely help the Raptors' offensive rating, and there's no reason to think this team can't have a top 10 offense/net rating which in most cases gets you around a top 4 seed.

With today being Media Day for the majority of the league, it was our first time getting Kawhi in front of a mic and hearing what he had to say about the whole investigation/drama/scandal and his return to a city that he brought a title to 7 years ago. Let's have a listen

OK, a few things here. I don't think we've ever seen Kawhi smile that wide and be that happy during a press conference, maybe ever. I didn't even know his face was capable of doing that or that he was even able to feel emotions in the first place. Shoutout to his developers who gave him that feature in his latest iOS system update. In terms of what he actually said, as expected it was mostly a PR response and something that I'm sure both his camp and the Raptors went over with him before today's media sessions. 

Frankly, I don't care what the actual words were, just look at him! That tells you everything you really need to know anyways. That's the face of a man who knows he got away scott-free after pulling off an all-time heist while clearly accepting under the table money. Hate him or love him, the fact remains that Kawhi got away with it. He didn't have to return any money, he didn't get his contract voided or suspended for this upcoming season. He got a light $700K fine and that's it. Not only did he get to be traded to a team he wanted, but he was then immediately rewarded with a 2/$115M extension. Not bad if you ask me! No shit he's smiling his ass off and trying to do the whole "nothing to see here" thing despite being the sole reason the Clippers' entire future is now down the drain

Giphy Images.

And you know what? It's not as if the Raptors or their fans should give a shit about any of that stuff anyway. That's a Clippers problem not a Kawhi/Raptors problem. You know what matters to them? If the Kawhi we just saw in 2025-26 who played 65 games and played at a 2nd Team All NBA level is also going to exist moving forward

which if he's healthy, we have no reason to think won't be the case. I know that's a big IF and all that, but I'm choosing to be optimistic as we enter a new year. I hope all the players in the league who have injury concerns are able to stay mostly healthy this year, because as fans that's what we deserve. Especially players in the East which has suddenly turned into a bloodbath of a conference after all the moves this summer. We deserve to see what the Raptors can look like with a healthy Kawhi who played 60-65 games so I'm choosing to believe we'll get it.

This whole situation is just another reminder that when it comes to the NBA, nothing is too crazy. There was no way I would have thought that after the way Kawhi left in 2019 that he would ever return to that franchise, and yet here we are. Not only did he come back, it was also his preferred destination! For the Raptors to lose Kawhi because Steve Ballmer cheated and circumvented the cap, only to be the ones to steal Kawhi back from that same team all while that team got the NBA Death Penalty for what they did to lure Kawhi, is stuff you couldn't even make up if you tried. That's some Basketball Karma at its finest if you ask me.