{"id":520698,"date":"2026-01-06T18:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T18:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/520698\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T18:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T18:18:16","slug":"what-kawhi-leonard-told-snoop-dogg-about-breakout-star-who-torched-warriors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/520698\/","title":{"rendered":"What Kawhi Leonard told Snoop Dogg about breakout star who torched Warriors"},"content":{"rendered":"

The LA Clippers did not expect a routine night against the Golden State Warriors, and neither did Kobe Sanders. Minutes before tipoff, Sanders learned he would start, stepping into a larger role<\/a> after James Harden became a late scratch with shoulder stiffness, per ESPN.<\/p>\n

Instead of shrinking, the rookie seized the moment. Sanders delivered the best performance of his young NBA career, pouring in 20 points with seven rebounds across 36 steady minutes as the Clippers edged the Warriors 103-102. The effort drew attention from everywhere, including a courtside conversation between Kawhi Leonard<\/a> and Snoop Dogg<\/a> that quickly made waves.<\/p>\n

Snoop admitted postgame that he knew nothing about Sanders before the matchup. By the final buzzer, that changed.<\/p>\n

Kawhi\u2019s message as Sanders announces himself<\/p>\n

Leonard kept his advice simple and direct when asked what he shared with Snoop about the rookie\u2019s breakout. He said he constantly encourages Sanders to stay aggressive, embrace his opportunities, and keep executing without hesitation. Leonard framed moments like Monday night as the clearest path for growth, stressing that confidence matters just as much as talent at this level.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always tell him to keep being aggressive in the game,\u201d Leonard told Snoop Dogg. \u201cThat’s your time to get better right there so don’t shy away from it, just keep executing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanders embodied that approach from the opening tip. Tasked with helping contain Stephen Curry, the 23-year-old played with composure on both ends. Curry still scored 27 points but fouled out late, marking his first disqualification since 2021 and opening the door for a tense Clippers finish.<\/p>\n

Sanders admitted afterward that the foul-out brought a sense of relief. He also said the freedom he felt stemmed from trust, noting that the coaching staff consistently urges him to stay aggressive rather than fear mistakes.<\/p>\n

Head coach Tyronn Lue echoed that sentiment, praising Sanders\u2019 poise, defensive awareness, and growing confidence. Teammate John Collins called the performance \u201cbig time,\u201d acknowledging how difficult it can be for a rookie to stay ready amid inconsistent minutes.<\/p>\n

For a Clippers team fighting through injuries and slowly regaining momentum, Sanders\u2019 night offered more than just a win. It delivered a glimpse of what opportunity, preparation, and belief can unlock, even when the spotlight arrives without warning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The LA Clippers did not expect a routine night against the Golden State Warriors, and neither did Kobe…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":520699,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3789],"tags":[7,7417,559,529,4034,192,4032,251,135,4033,4031,6,20746],"class_list":["post-520698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-clippers","tag-basketball","tag-celebrity","tag-clippers","tag-kawhi-leonard","tag-la","tag-la-clippers","tag-laclippers","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-clippers","tag-losangeles","tag-losangelesclippers","tag-nba","tag-snoop-dogg"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115849534290979117","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/520699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}