It has been over six years since Kawhi Leonard’s iconic buzzer-beater propelled the Toronto Raptors past the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals. That unforgettable shot allowed the Raptors to continue their historic journey, which culminated in the franchise’s first-ever Larry O’Brien trophy.
But according to Serge Ibaka, all of that might not have happened had he followed his instincts. A solid rebounder and a prolific defender, the 6’11” big man recently shared on the “Hello and Welcome” podcast how he nearly leapt to try and grab the offensive rebound on that fateful final play.
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Ibaka had to decide
As Leonard shot a high-arcing jumper from the corner over the outstretched arms of Sixers superstar Joel Embiid, Ibaka immediately went inside the shaded lane to get a better rebounding position. And as the ball bounced once, twice and three times on the rim, the fate of the game hanging in the balance, he had an inkling to jump and tip the ball in.
“I was down, ready to go for the offensive rebound. So, I was almost close to tipping the ball. I was like, ‘Oh my god,'” Ibaka shared.
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Had he touched the ball as it bounced on the rim, Ibaka would have been called for a basket interference violation, which would have sent the game to overtime tied at 90-all. At that point, it would have been anyone’s game to win.
Ibaka surmised that had he jumped and committed a violation like that, he would have undoubtedly immediately retired.
“If I touched that ball, I’d have to retire, because no way you come back from that. Yeah. It’s no way,” he stated, laughing at the thought. “When the ball was bouncing, I was ready to go. Ready to tip it off. I was ready to go. Like, you know, it’s normal.”
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“Yeah, because I feel like if it was a clear miss, I would’ve grabbed the rebound. I was by myself. Nobody really wanted to push me. And then the ball kept bouncing, kept bouncing…” Serge continued.
Serge didn’t think Kawhi’s shot was going in
Ibaka was also candid enough to share what was going through his mind as he watched Leonard throw up the Hail Mary of a shot.
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With just four seconds remaining in the game, The Claw faced intense pressure from two elite defenders. Ben Simmons, the 6’10” point guard, was on his hip, relentlessly pursuing him, while Embiid closed in as Leonard shifted toward the right side of the court. As Leonard released his shot, Embiid was inches away, arms fully extended in an effort to contest the play.
From Ibaka’s vantage point, Leonard’s shot had little chance of going in.
“I was like, man, that shot — honestly, the way we run the play, and I saw Joel guarding him. Yeah, he was chasing him. I didn’t believe that shot was going to go in,” Ibaka said. “Like, no way. I was like, ‘Oh, maybe he’s going to throw the ball up, you know.'”
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As the popular phrase in the sports world goes, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. As terrific as Kawhi was that season, especially in that showdown against the Sixers — he averaged 34.7 points on 53 percent shooting — he still needed Lady Luck to smile on him for that buzzer-beater to drop.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.