Kawhi Leonard's college coach says returning to West Coast 'always in back of his mind'
Former San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said his recruitment of a teenage Kawhi Leonard became an “infatuation” that eventually led the Aztecs to land the future NBA All-Star and transform the program.
“What you see now, all the intangible gifts he has for the game, that all drew us to him,” Fisher told Paste BN Sports during a phone interview Tuesday.
“But I tell people this repeatedly: I’ve never seen a player who works harder on his own time. The fact that he’s a pro doesn’t surprise me. But the fact that he’s this good — as a top-five (NBA) player — I don’t think anyone saw that. Except him, in that gym by himself.”
Leonard’s father, Mark, was shot and killed in January 2008 at the Compton car wash he owned. That year, Leonard was named California Mr. Basketball while at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California. Leonard played for Fisher from 2009-11, when he became an All-American and eventually the No. 15 pick of the 2011 NBA draft.
Fisher said he’s stayed in touch with Leonard and his family, originally from the Los Angeles area, and was not surprised the 2019-20 MVP candidate chose to leave the Toronto Raptors for the Los Angeles Clippers — even after winning the NBA title in one season with the Raptors.
The 6-7 forward helped lure Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Clippers in a blockbuster move that shook the NBA world. Leonard also was considering the Lakers but chose the lesser-storied franchise to make his mark.
"I think coming back here was always in the back of his mind,” Fisher said. “He’s California born and raised. In his mind, he had to be wondering what it’d be like to play in the LA area.”
Fisher, who retired in 2017 and also coached Michigan’s Fab Five in the early 1990s, said that while he’d often see Leonard practicing at San Diego State’s facilities in the off-season, he didn’t suspect Leonard was hell-bent on playing for the Clippers or Lakers earlier in his career.
Fisher said it likely took a break-up with the San Antonio Spurs to steer him toward the West Coast. Leonard won an NBA title with the Spurs in 2014 and was named Finals MVP, but eventually requested a trade from the organization that he began his career with after a spat over his rehabilitation process from a quadriceps injury (Leonard’s doctors and the Spurs’ team doctors were at odds in 2017-18).
“Had things gone differently, he never would have left San Antonio. He was happy there,” Fisher said. “I don’t think he was always determined to get back to Los Angeles, as much as he considered and called it home. His mother (Kim Robertson) moved out there (to San Antonio) so he was happy and (content) before everything sort of fell apart.”
Fisher, who credits Leonard for putting San Diego State on the map when he led the Aztecs to the Sweet 16 in 2011, said his former player’s quiet demeanor and lack of media moxie often has disguised his killer instinct to win.
“He always had that inner drive, but it was without pumping his chest,” Fisher said. “He’s coming back home (with the Clippers), but he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t think he could win. He could be the first player of his caliber to lead a team to three NBA titles with three different teams.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to see him play much (live) as a pro,” Fisher added, “but I’ll be a big Clipper fan for sure now.”
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