"It doesn't bother me at all, that's who I am" - Kawhi Leonard says he hasn't worked on his iconic laugh

“It doesn’t bother me at all, that’s who I am” – Kawhi Leonard says he hasn’t worked on his iconic laugh originally appeared on Basketball Network.

He’s just a fun guy.

When Kawhi Leonard sat down at the podium during Toronto Raptors Media Day in 2018, no one expected him to deliver one of the strangest and most replayed soundbites of his career.

After being asked what fans should know about him, Leonard paused, then delivered a laugh that was half robot and half hiccup. It caught the room off guard. The clip spread like wildfire.

Overnight, Leonard became the punchline of internet jokes and parody videos.

Less than a year later, during the 2019 NBA Finals, Leonard was asked if he had worked on that laugh. He smiled before answering in a way that summed up his approach to criticism and fame.

“Not at all,” he said. “I must laugh how I laugh and you know it’s hard for me to laugh through a speaker. My voice is already deep. So let everybody have fun with it. It doesn’t bother me at all, that’s who I am.”

Out of the limelight

Leonard never tried to reclaim the moment or bury it. He just let it be. He leaned into the fact that he is different and stayed focused on his job. By that point he was averaging 28 points a game and had already delivered back-to-back game winners during Toronto’s playoff run.

Leonard doesn’t give much to the cameras and microphones. That’s not new. What is rare is when he opens up about how far off public perception is from his real life.

During the same interview, he was asked how different he thinks his image is from who he actually is.

“I would say probably a little bit in the middle,” Leonard said. “Once I have to do other stuff or go out or something, you might see me interact a little bit more, tell jokes, laugh, and then you know more other things. You’ll see the things I like to do other than, you know, just playing basketball, like fishing, or going golfing, or just hanging out with my daughter doing something in my day.”

A ride etched in stone

That year Leonard led the Raptors to a championship and won Finals MVP. It was his second time winning the award and made him the first player in league history to earn it in both conferences.

In a league where image and personality often matter just as much as production, Leonard managed to let his numbers and impact speak for themselves. Toronto won 58 games that year and had the second-best defense in the league. He played in 24 playoff games and led all scorers in total points.

Leonard knows he doesn’t light up a press conference or drive TV ratings. He has said before he’s aware of the jokes and memes but doesn’t let them shape who he is.

“Like you already know” he said with a grin, ready to churn out a not-so-robotic laugh, “I’m a fun guy.”

That quote now gets replayed nearly as much as the laugh itself. Both moments say the same thing. Leonard doesn’t try to entertain off the court. He shows up to play and when it’s over he goes home.

That laugh from 2018 might have felt like a punchline at first but it ended up being a pretty accurate summary of Leonard’s personality. He’s awkward and awfully quiet, but that’s why people love him. He’s completely fine with who he is. And he’s one of the best postseason players of his era.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.

“It doesn’t bother me at all, that’s who I am” – Kawhi Leonard says he hasn’t worked on his iconic laugh

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