Random Daggers

Kawhi Leonard calls offensive foul on his own teammate, proves again he's a robot

March 16, 2023

From his awkwardness with a microphone in his hand, to the "board man gets paid" stuff, to that uncomfortable laugh, we've known Kawhi Leonard was a basketball-playing cyborg for years. Heck, he makes Scottie Scheffler seem flashy. But what he did on Wednesday night might take the cake. Or, well, apples, in Kawhi's case.

During the Clippers important Western Conference clash with the Warriors, L.A. guard Eric Gordon tried to initiate contact from a defender while shooting a 3-pointer. We've seen this time and time again and the NBA has started cracking down on the practice for years after guys like Reggie Miller got away with murder for years.

Back to Wednesday night, the ref wasn't fooled. The Warriors weren't fooled. And certainly the robotic Leonard wasn't fooled. Instead of trying to sell the play for his teammate, he immediately signaled for an offensive foul to be called. Have a look:

Amazing. Granted he's only been Gordon's teammate for a few weeks, but still, you'd think he wouldn't do one of his own like that. Clearly, though, Kawhi is programmed differently. Emphasis on programmed.

Anyway, despite the (appropriate) call going against his squad, Leonard's stoic 30 point, eight-rebound performance and the Clippers beat Golden State (despite 50 from Steph Curry) to move into fifth place in an incredibly tight Western Conference playoff race. It might have even been enough to get Kawhi to smile after.

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