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| Kawhi Leonard holding the Bill Russell (Finals MVP) trophy. Photo courtesy of AP News. |
Nearly two weeks ago, the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors, winning their first ever NBA championship, shocking the world in the process. The Raptors were led by two-time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard, one of, if not the best two-way player-- a guy who excels offensively and defensively-- in the league.
His journey to get there wasn't easy. Prior to last season, he had internal issues with his team at the time, the San Antonio Spurs, where he won his first championship and Finals MVP. It was said that he was injured, then news broke out that there was a rift between him and Spurs Gregg Popovich, among other typically messy media narratives.
During that summer, after much speculation about where Kawhi was headed, he was traded to the Raptors in a four-player deal, including a first round pick. Then there was talk that Kawhi didn't want to play there and would possibly sit out the season. This led to a lot of harsh criticism from the media and fans alike. They were nitpicking; criticizing him for stupid shit such as him being more quiet and laid-back, versus more stylish or enthusiastic, making what I thought was slanderous accusations about him being arrogant and then there's the big spectacle that was made over his unique laugh.
After agreeing to a one-year deal with the Raptors, he led them to a 58-24 record, the second seed in the East and the second best record overall. During the postseason they defeated the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks en route to their first NBA Finals appearance where they defeated the Warriors for their first title.
He won the Finals MVP for the second time in his career and became the first player in NBA history to win a championship for an Eastern and Western Conference team. I said all of that to bring me to the title of this post. Going back a couple of paragraphs, the way people dogged and dragged him prior to the season, whether it was the accusations or the viral videos on his laugh, there were some things that came to mind.
While I have to admit, there's one particular video caricature of him that I thought was funny, and I didn't think there was any harm intended, generally, stuff like that could can create this distorted image as if he's slow or retarded or something. I think people like Kawhi are just misunderstood, and I know that feeling all too well.
People tend to oppose someone or something they don't understand. Instead of trying to gain an understanding, they attack, usually through shit tests and other petty, sadistic actions. You don't talk or act a certain way, so they start doing sucker stuff to alienate and ostracize that person. They make up stuff about the person, and whether it's a joke or a "joke," it can still create an effect that can cause people to come at the individual in a disrespectful manner.
I use the story of his season as a reminder to use people and their bullshit as stepping stones. They laughed at him, mocked and criticized him, now Kawhi has the last laugh. Success is the best revenge.
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