Kawhi Leonard will (probably) make his long-awaited return to the basketball court on Tuesday night against the Mavs after missing the first 27 games of the season with a quadriceps injury.
Leonard’s rehab has been a long and arduous journey to get back on the court, as the MVP candidate has dealt with setbacks and the generally “weird” nature of his injury. After two months of questions about when he would touch the floor, Leonard is ready to bring the Spurs back to near full strength (they will still be without Kyle Anderson for at least a few more weeks) which should make them legitimate contenders in the West.
One can’t help but wonder what Leonard was doing during his time away from the court. Of all of the NBA superstars, Leonard is the one we know the least about off the court — aside from liking 2 Chainz, but then again who doesn’t. What does someone whose life has been solely dedicated to trying to perfect his craft do when they are forced off the court for an extended period of time?
Karate.
KAWHI LEONARD GETTING READY TO CHOP Y'ALL UP…. KARATE STYLE 😅
(via @footlocker / IG story) pic.twitter.com/S6KjYz4tRl
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) December 12, 2017
Leonard is out here smashing boards, now, so watch out . My favorite part of the video is him saying, “we’re about to chop y’all up, look at all of us.” I would 100 percent believe Leonard took over a karate gym and convinced an entire class to follow him like his minions.
As the video notes, this is part of some kind of upcoming Jordan Brand-Gatorade commercial, likely tied to their new Like Mike campaign and sneaker release. I prefer to believe Leonard really spent time learning karate for the commercial shot and that they aren’t prop pieces of wood he’s breaking, because can you imagine how terrifying karate master Kawhi Leonard would be? He’s got like a seven foot wingspan, he’ll chop you from across the room.
