Video: Kawhi Leonard Jokes Kyle Lowry Doesn't Want Him Anymore After Title Win
June 14, 2019
Spirits are high in the north after the Toronto Raptors claimed the franchise's first NBA championship.
Following the Raptors' 114-110 Game 6 victory over the Golden State Warriors to seal the 2019 NBA Finals on Thursday night at Oracle Arena, Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry sat down with ESPN's Rachel Nichols. When Nichols asked Lowry if he planned to talk to the Finals MVP about his impending free agency, everybody caught the giggles:
Leonard arrived to Toronto via trade from the San Antonio Spurs last July. The 2018-19 season was the last guaranteed on his five-year, $94.3 million contract. He can become an unrestricted free agent June 30 if he declines his $21.3 million player option for 2019-20.
Lowry may not pitch Leonard to re-sign with the Raptors, but there are plenty in Toronto who will—including a fan seen in the streets Thursday night with a plant ready to gift the 27-year-old as a housewarming gift:
Even if Leonard signs elsewhere, the Raptors couldn't have asked for their one-year rental to work out any better.
And neither could Leonard, who is now a two-time champion as well as a two-time Finals MVP.