Kawhi Leonard wasn’t the best player in the league or even in the Western Conference this season, but the Clippers forward was the best version of himself, playing at a level that earned him All-NBA Second Team honors on Sunday.
Read more Aleena Garcia powers UCLA softball back to Women’s College World Series
Leonard, who turns 35 next month, picked up his seventh career All-NBA honor after averaging a career-best 27.9 points to go with 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 50.5% from the field and 38.7% from 3-point range in 32.1 minutes per game. He played 65 games this season and earned his seventh career All-Star Game nod.
This was Leonard’s fourth All-NBA selection during his six seasons on the court with the Clippers (he sat out the entire 2021-22 season with an ACL injury). He is one of just three players in franchise history to earn four All-NBA selections.
Leonard joined the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, the New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, the Houston Rockets’ Kevin Durant and Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell on the second team.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Lakers star Luka Doncic and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic were the All-NBA First-Team selections.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, the Atlanta Hawks’ Jalen Johnson, Thunder forward/center Chet Holmgren and Pistons big man Jalen Duren were named to the Third Team.
Read more UCLA baseball walks off Oregon to win Big Ten tournament title
“That’s what you work for,” Leonard said in April. “Coming in any year, you just need to be consistent and have a great ball club with you on the ride, and hopefully hard work pays off. It’d be a great honor to be selected.”
The last time Leonard was named an All-NBA player was in 2024 when he was named to the second team with averages of 23.7, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 52.5% from the field in 34.3 minutes per game.
Leonard was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2016, 2017 and 2021 in a career that has often been derailed by injuries. He missed significant time in 2024-25 because of lingering right knee injuries, appearing in just 35 games. He missed just 10 games this past season because of ankle and foot injuries.
“(Whether you are) listening to music and studying different craftsmanship from basketball or … construction workers, people building houses, it’s always about that extra work and the extra hours you put in,” Leonard said. “So that’s what I took into my craft and wanted to be the best and wanted the best to play. And that’s what I did.”
Read more Big Ten Tournament: Mulivai Levu plays hero again as UCLA baseball stuns USC