Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is seemingly having a blast this offseason as he prepares for the upcoming Katch x Kawhi Leonard Asia Tour.
On Monday, Leonard announced that he will face a popular street baller in a 1-on-1 game in Wuhan on August 22.
“August 22 at the Wuhan, right? I’m booking my ticket right now,” Leonard announced.
“Yup — I got you at the Wuhan,” the two-time Defensive Player of the Year added, promising to shut down the street baller during their game.
“I’m locking all y’all up.”
In an earlier video, Leonard poked fun at his former LA Clippers teammate, Paul George, for letting the same street baller drop 60 points on him. He proceeded to call the street baller “trash” before making his August 22 announcement.
“There’s no way this dude’s going to score 10 points on me. I’ll lock this dude up. He looks trash,” Leonard said.
Kawhi Leonard Ready for China Tour
Leonard will begin his tour with his first-ever visit to Hong Kong with a special event on August 15. Hong Kong media outlet The HK Hub revealed more details:
“The Hong Kong stop is designed as a fan event rather than a match, so the focus will be on seeing Leonard in person and hearing more about his basketball journey.
“Organisers say the evening will include career sharing, fan interaction and special segments built around his approach to the game, from discipline to consistency.
“The line-up will also feature local artists, dunkers, the Vita Green YF basketball team and Division A players, adding a homegrown basketball angle to the night.”
Kawhi Leonard Under NBA Investigation
Leonard’s tour of China comes at a time when the NBA continues to investigate the LA Clippers for allegedly circumventing the salary cap to funnel off-the-books payments to the superstar forward through undisclosed endorsement deals. The investigation has put a temporary hold on the agreed upon trade between the Clippers and the Raptors, sending Leonard to Toronto and Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick to Los Angeles.
The saga took a new turn last week when journalist Pablo Torre reported that Leonard had an endorsement deal with Clippers videoboard manufacturer Daktronics.
While some reports have suggested that the NBA’s investigation could drag well into next year, SportsNet’s Michael Grange reported Friday that the NBA has unofficially finished its investigation and is expected to announce its decision soon.
“The most likely outcome? A negotiated settlement where the NBA gets to enforce some version of its rules, [Steve] Ballmer can save face and Leonard can play for the Raptors,” Grange wrote.
Insider Jake Fischer also reported on Monday that Leonard’s camp is confident about the Raptors trade going through.
“The Raptors made the decision on July 9 to press pause rather than complete the trade until the NBA announces a resolution to the long-running external investigation it has commissioned into allegations of salary-cap circumvention by the Clippers to pay Leonard beyond his contract dating to 2021.
“Yet league sources tell The Stein Line that Leonard continues to operate under the belief that he will be able to join the Raptors for training camp.”
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