Kawhi Leonard returned to San Antonio on Thursday for the first time since the Spurs traded him to the Toronto Raptors in the offseason, and the welcome he received wasn’t all that warm. (Not surprising, we know.)
Leonard, who sat out all but nine games last season with a mysterious quad injury and asked for a trade in the offseason, got the expected welcome from the San Antonio faithful, as the crowd at AT&T Center gave him a healthy dose of boos and chanted “traitor” at the star forward.
While most expected Spurs fans to react harshly toward Leonard, Isaiah Thomas was not pleased with those booing the 2014 NBA Finals MVP.
The injured Denver Nuggets guard took to Twitter to rip into the fans who went to the game to spew venom at Leonard.
That man won a championship for y’all and u boo him?? That ain’t it!
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) January 4, 2019
Take the “fan” hat off for once and put the “player” hat on and see if you will still boo a player…
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) January 4, 2019
Let us come to your job and BOO you for 2hrs for you looking out for YOURSELF when teams time after time do what’s best for THEM!
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) January 4, 2019
The circumstances surrounding Leonard’s final season in San Antonio still are shrouded in mystery. Some reports have suggested the Spurs might have misdiagnosed his initial injury, while others have painted Leonard as a star who just wanted to force his way to a bigger market.
The Spurs, and former Raptor DeMar DeRozan, got the last laugh Thursday night when they held Leonard to 21 points and beat Toronto 125-107.
