Clippers' Kawhi Leonard Opens Up on Playing with 'Elite Player' Paul George

Though Kawhi Leonard has won a pair of championships through the first eight years of his career, the new two-time Finals MVP doesn't believe he has ever teamed up with a player of new Los Angeles Clippers teammate Paul George's caliber.

"This is probably going to be my first time playing with an elite player of his level," Leonard said of George in an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "You know, around the same age as me, same talent. I'm excited."  

Leonard has shared the court with some talented players through the years, like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Danny Green and Kyle Lowry. However, the iconic San Antonio Spurs trio of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili were all in the latter stages of their respective careers when Leonard arrived. And as good as Lowry, Green and others may be, they are no George.

George is coming off a season in which he was an MVP finalist while sharing a court with 2016-17 MVP Russell Westbrook on the Oklahoma City Thunder. He averaged a career-high 28.0 points per game while being named to the All-Defensive first team for the second time in his career.

Having just turned 29 years old, George is a six-time All-Star who also has an Olympic gold medal on his resume. The one thing he doesn't have, though, is an NBA title. He led the Indiana Pacers to a pair of Eastern Conference Finals, but he was unable to defeat LeBron James and the Miami Heat either time.

Leonard has proved in the past that he can put a franchise on his back and lead it to a championship. But with George on the same roster, Leonard won't have to try to carry the Clippers alone. As Leonard told Nichols, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to play with one of the best players in the game. 

"I was very close. Real close," Leonard told Nichols of how close he was to signing with the Los Angeles Lakers or Toronto Raptors in free agency. "But when [the Clippers] presented the opportunity of playing with Paul, it was easy, it was a yes. I said let's get it going."