One of the best two-way players in the NBA is Kawhi Leonard. Low-key and introverted to the point of being almost mute off the court, the 6’ 6” forward with gigantic hands and a 7’ 3” wingspan (the widest of anyone his height) becomes a human praying mantis every time he steps on the floor, swallowing up would-be passes at one end and sticking jumpers or dunking on opponents at the other. After a tumultuous end to his successful tenure in San Antonio last year, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year and 2014 NBA Finals MVP was traded to Toronto this past off-season where he has the Raptors atop the Eastern Conference. With averages of 24.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, all while guarding the opposing team’s best player, Leonard is certainly in the mix for league MVP this season.
Presented is one of Kawhi’s 2016-17 game worn Spurs jerseys that has been conclusively photo-matched to five games that season by the experts at Resolution Photomatching. He scored a total of 119 point with 27 boards, 25 dimes and 11 steals over those five contests, all played at AT&T Center in San Antonio. He guided the Spurs to victories in all five games, defeating the Nuggets (Feb. 4), T-Wolves (March 4), Kings (March 19), Knicks (March 25) and Jazz (April 2). Against Minnesota he tallied 34 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals in the 97-90 victory. Leonard averaged a career-high 25.5 points per game for the season, finishing third in MVP voting.
The gray jersey (typically designed for away games) with black and white trim has the Spurs logo on the front in silver on black and white tackle twill with his uniform number “2” adjacent in felt black outlined in silver and white tackle twill. His last name – “LEONARD” – is sewn across the upper back in arched black letters, with a larger No. “2” in the same format as the front. The left front tail includes proper Adidas tagging indicating Size XL with a “LENGTH +2” flag tag. Inside is the washing instructions tag with a “03/16” manufacturer’s dated flag tag. The jersey reflects solid overall wear and is registered in the NBA Authentication Database as #SSP02633. Kawhi gamers are few and far between in the hobby, popping up about as infrequently as he does for post-game interviews.
LOA from Resolution Photomatching. Full LOA from JSA for autograph.