All eyes were on Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio on Monday night — even those of the Association.
The Spurs star bolstered his case for Most Valuable Player, single-handedly burying the Houston Rockets with a clutch 3-pointer on one end and a monster block of James Harden on the other.
But in an ironic development, the media had to wait to speak to Leonard after the game — because Leonard had been selected for a random drug test.
Yup, that’s right. Just moments after dropping a game-high 39 points in San Antonio’s 112-110 win, Leonard had to step into a bathroom to produce a urine sample. Per ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright, Leonard took longer than usual to produce the sample due to slight dehydration, perhaps because he had just played 39 exhausting minutes in a professional game.
Before the conspiracy theories roll in, Leonard’s drug test truly was random; the NBA randomly tests all players four times during the regular season. But the timing could not have been more coincidental, and it also produced a great line from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
“Kawhi wanted (the drug test) badly,” Popovich said, via ESPN.com, “and he went in and took it.”
If Leonard does feel like questioning the league’s motives, though, we’re sure James Harrison would lend an ear.
Thumbnail photo via Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY Sports Images
