However, Leonard had different plans because he improved his all-around game. The quiet forward quickly became a star, as he became the heir to the Spurs\u2019 throne after Tim Duncan\u2019s<\/a> retirement. Unfortunately, he suffered injuries that kept him out of the lineup, which irked some people, including Tony Parker<\/a>.<\/p>\n As the best player on the Spurs, losing Leonard to injury was a big deal. The injury struggles stemmed from when Leonard stepped on Zaza Pachulia\u2019s foot in the 2017 Western Conference Finals. His struggles throughout the 2017-18 season made him question the Spurs\u2019 medical staff. <\/p>\n Leonard did not trust his team\u2019s doctors, prompting him to ask for a second opinion. That led to him not playing a game in 2018 for the Spurs, which led to the blockbuster trade. DeMar DeRozan<\/a> landed with the Spurs while Leonard played for a talented<\/a> Toronto Raptors<\/a> team.<\/p>\n At the same time, franchise icon Tony Parker questioned Leonard\u2019s decision to get a second opinion. <\/p>\n That did not work out well because Kawhi Leonard and his management did not like that. Danny Green<\/a>, a former Spurs teammate, felt that was the beginning of the end.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, San Antonio, they don\u2019t treat anybody like superstars. I think his uncle (thought), rightfully so, should have been treated as a superstar. Pop was spoiled; he never had to treat Timmy like that,\u201d Green said<\/a> on All The Smoke. <\/p>\n \u201cKawhi had the injury, then Tony said some stuff to the media. Then Pop said some stuff to the media. I think Uncle Dennis was like \u2018Nah.\u2019 Kawhi came back from nine games, and after that, you have to talk to Kawhi\u2019s people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe and Kawhi could not take that s**t\u2026 He really wanted to hoop. When the injury stuff came down, how they did not fight for him in public\u2026 Tony was like \u2018I had the same injury and I came back\u2019 questioning if he was really hurt. That pushed him right out the door,\u201d Stephen Jackson said<\/a> on All The Smoke in 2023.<\/p>\n While DeMar DeRozan was decent for the Spurs, he was not Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs\u2019 2014 Finals MVP only played one season for the Raptors, but he managed to win a championship. It was a fantastic achievement that Leonard could have done with the Spurs, but the fallout was too huge. <\/p>\n To rub it in further, Leonard won the 2019 Finals MVP, something he did before with the Spurs<\/a>. Gregg Popovich<\/a> and the Spurs could have competed against the Golden State Warriors, but it did not work out. It would have been better if Parker had stayed quiet.<\/p>\n![\"Tony](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-508269014-818x627.jpg\")
Photo by Ronald Cortes\/Getty ImagesFormer Spurs players give context behind the fallout with Leonard<\/p>\n