Jeff Teague said that Kawhi Leonard is overrated in a list of the best players of the 21st century, and thinks a current free agent had a better career.
Kawhi Leonard, a six-time All-Star and two-time Finals MVP, is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who has developed into one of the premier offensive talents in the league.
Leonard, who now suits up for the LA Clippers, was listed 13th in CBS’ top 25 players of the 21st century. NBA All-Star Jeff Teague said that was too high, and named a current free agent who had a better career.
Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty ImagesJeff Teague said Russell Westbrook had a better career than Kawhi Leonard
Leonard was ranked 12 places higher than 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook, who just snuck onto the list. Westbrook was the first player since Oscar Robinson to average a triple-double in his MVP season, and did it again in 2018.
Teague said that all the MVPs on the list needed to be listed higher, and Westbrook should be moved above Leonard despite his lack of NBA title.
He said, “Kawhi Leonard’s not better than Russell Westbrook. He’s not had a better career than Russell Westbrook. He won a championship but this is an individual ranking.
Jeff Teague says Kawhi didn’t have a better career than Russ, was never the best player in the league, and if you put Kawhi on those OKC teams, they wouldn’t win
“You don’t have a league MVP, you was never the best player in the NBA”
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 27, 2025
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“He doesn’t have a league MVP. If you don’t have a league MVP you were never the best player in the NBA. a championship is a team award, this is an individual award.”
Leonard led the 2019 Toronto Raptors to the NBA championship, hitting an iconic game-winner against the Philadelphia 76ers and winning Finals MVP against the Golden State Warriors.
Meanwhile, Westbrook has fallen short of winning a ring, despite playing alongside Kevin Durant, James Harden and Leonard himself in search for a championship.
And while Leonard looks to lead the Clippers to the title through a stacked Western Conference, a 36-year-old Westbrook may well be out of the league next season.
Sacramento Kings are Russell Westbrook’s last hope this offseason
A quiet offseason, which featured only a handful of significant roster moves, has passed Westbrook by. Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets, Myles Turner signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and Luka Doncic re-signed with the Lakers. Meanwhile, Westbrook is a free agent.
He was an important player on the Denver Nuggets last season, who lost in seven games to the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. His energy was infectious off the bench, but as he gets older and his ruthless athleticism at the rim fades, there isn’t a clear role for him on a team.
The Sacramento Kings are seemingly his last option this summer. They tried to trade Malik Monk to the Warriors for Jonathan Kuminga to free some space for Westbrook, but were unsuccessful.
For a team that isn’t in contention to win, it’s clear the Kings want Westbrook for some media buzz and excitement to get fans into the arena. If they are unable to get Westbrook on their roster, perhaps we can expect a desperate contender to make a midseason move for him.
It would be a massive shame to see a legendary career end like this.