Player Bio

Kawhi Anthony Leonard was born in Los Angeles, California, to Mark Leonard and Kim Robertson. He has four older sisters. One of his cousins, Stevie Johnson, played in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers. Leonard attended Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, California, but transferred to Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, for his junior year. In his senior season, Leonard averaged 22.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.0 blocks per game and was named California Mr. Basketball while leading his team to a 30-3 record. Leonard donated the car he received along with 2014-15 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award to Respite Care, a center providing aid for children in need. In 2019, he teamed with the L.A. Clippers Foundation and non-profit community partner Baby2Baby to contribute a gift of one million backpacks intended to reduce stress on low-income families headed back to school across Southern California. He has also hosted a skills camp in California. Learn more about Leonard by following him on Twitter (@kawhileonard). Leonard joined San Diego State to play for coach Steve Fisher after growing up near Los Angeles. The 6-foot-7 forward made his presence known by owning the boards as a freshman. He led the Aztecs with 12.7 points and 9.9 rebounds to help the team win the Mountain West Conference's autobid for the NCAA Tournament. Leonard had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the team's first-round loss to Tennessee. He garnered MWC Freshman of the Year, All-MWC First Team and tournament MVP honors. In his sophomore season, Leonard paced the Aztecs to 19 straight wins before they lost to BYU. The forward had double-doubles in his first five games and finished with 23 on the season. Leonard averaged 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds but connected on just 29.1 percent of his three-point attempts. The Aztecs advanced to the Sweet 16 as the forward averaged 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in the Big Dance. He declared for the 2011 NBA Draft after two seasons in college and was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 15th overall pick, but he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs on draft night.