Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard will make his return to San Antonio Thursday evening after playing the first seven seasons of his career with the Spurs.
Leonard’s often successful tenure with the Spurs came to drama-filled end prior to the 2018-19 season after he requested a trade from the team. Bad feelings were the name of the game.
Now, just a few months later, Leonard will make his return trip to the AT&T Center as an opposing player. If this video from early Thursday morning is any indication, don’t expect Leonard to get a warm welcome.
Here, we see Spurs fans absolutely trolling Leonard.
Spurs fans welcoming Kawhi back like… 🤖😂@Raptors vs. @spurs // 8pm ET on TNT 📺 pic.twitter.com/EmCdbpYFJx
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 3, 2019
The little girl waves to a robot in a Leonard jersey, repeatedly saying, “Hi robot.” That’s about as great of a troll job as you’ll ever see.
Leonard’s lack of personality has been a major talking point in San Antonio since he requested a trade. When he was a member of the Spurs, most figured the MVP candidate was soft spoken more than anything else. But it’s clear he’s burnt a few bridges over the past several months.
For his part, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich hopes his hometown fans don’t boo Leonard. Good luck with that, Pop.