Kawhi Leonard says he expects to get booed by Raptors fans

Dec 11 2019, 10:41 pm

Kawhi Leonard might be in for a surprise tonight.

Playing his first game in Toronto since he helped bring a championship to the city six months ago, Leonard was asked about how he thinks he’ll be received by Raptors fans.

Here’s what he said:

 

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“There will be some cheers but definitely, I think more boos, because they want to win the game,” Kawhi told reporters after practice. “They’re not going to be cheering for a player that’s on the opposing team. They’re still rooting for the Raptors.”

If there are fans planning on booing Kawhi, they would appear to be in the minority judging by the reaction online. Raptors fans, by and large, have nothing but respect and admiration for Leonard.

If last season ended poorly, perhaps Kawhi would get a mixed reaction. But given how well he played, resulting in the Raptors’ first-ever NBA championship, he can expect a lot more cheers than boos.

Certainly, it’ll be a lot different from Kawhi’s return to San Antonio last season, where he was booed loudly and often by Spurs fans.

The Raptors and Clippers play at 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT on TSN.

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