Kawhi Leonard ticked all the boxes as far as being an NBA superstar. There’s no doubt about what he was capable of as a player, but his former San Antonio Spurs co-star Tim Duncan felt like he wasn’t getting enough respect from the officials during games.
Duncan was already a seasoned veteran when Leonard joined the Spurs. That being said, he could tell if the referees were doing well or poorly with their job.
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For The Big Fundamental, the refs were often letting their opponents have their way on Leonard, which was totally unacceptable. Duncan openly speculated that it’s probably because the refs are directly or indirectly abusing Leonard’s quiet demeanor.
“[Kawhi’s] gotten to the point now where people are being a lot more physical with him, but people are still being allowed to get away with a whole lot of stuff,” Duncan once said in 2016. “That gets him fired up, and rightfully.”
Kawhi didn’t need the refs’ respect
As a small forward, Leonard is remarkably strong, which explains why he rarely looked outplayed or overpowered by his matchups and during contacts. If Duncan was right about how the referees treat Leonard during games, then perhaps Kawhi’s physical toughness is both a blessing and a curse.
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Unsurprisingly, the San Diego product didn’t have a lot to say about Duncan’s controversial comments about the officials. When asked about the subject, The Claw responded with his signature nonchalant remarks and stressed that he didn’t really care about such things whenever he was on the floor.
“I don’t even think about it, really,” Leonard said at the time. “I’m not playing to get fouls.”
Talking isn’t in Kawhi’s bag
Duncan himself was famous for being silent on the court. However, Kawhi seems to be even quieter than Timmy. Unlike other NBA players of his caliber, Leonard never ran his mouth, be it in actual games or even in team scrimmages.
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According to former Spurs guard Danny Green, he couldn’t recall a time when Leonard engaged in a heated trash-talking match or even reacted in an extreme way. In fact, Green revealed that Leonard has gone even more silent over time.
“He just uses small phrases when it comes to playing,” Green once said of the star wing. “He doesn’t do that anymore, I could see when he was younger, to say small. But he doesn’t talk trash to anybody.”
“When you’re playing with him and he’s talking a little trash, he don’t do that in a game,” he added. “He’s so focused on himself and playing his game. He’s not gonna tell you [that] you need to talk trash.”
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Kawhi is all about playing
Leonard has been playing in the NBA for 14 years now, and there has rarely been an incident in which he has argued with an official. He is exactly the same as the players.
For Leonard, it’s clear that his job is to suit up, play, get paid, go home and repeat. Anything beyond that, except winning, is unnecessary.
That being said, it’s no wonder that Leonard couldn’t care less whether or not the referees would blow their whistles whenever he gets fouled.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.