11-Year NBA Veteran Makes Controversial Kawhi Leonard, Paul George Statement

This take will upset some Kawhi Leonard and Paul George fans

Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George (13, left) and forward Kawhi Leonard (2, center) and guard James Harden (1, right) watch the game from the bench during the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Despite a trip to the Western Conference Finals, the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George era will always be looked at as a bust. Anything less than an NBA championship is considered a bust for a duo of their caliber. However, one former 3x NBA All-Star disagrees with that notion.

During an episode of The GIl's Arena Show, 11-year NBA veteran Gilbert Arenas disagreed with the idea that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were a championship-ready team on the Clippers. Arenas believes they were no longer championship-ready once the duo went into the bubble.

"When him and Paul George came, that team wasn't championship-ready," Arenas said. "They had a better chance out of the bubble. Once it went to the bubble, that Clipper team was not disciplined enough to be stationary and not have the things that made them good, mentally."

Rashad: "We expected Kawhi to come into LA and win a championship."

Gil: "No, we didn't. When he and Paul George came, that team wasn't championship-ready."

The Arena gets into it over the Clippers' not winning a title during the PG/Kawhi era. pic.twitter.com/zhd5jy0OED

— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) September 28, 2024

Gilbert Arenas then doubled down on his statements, saying that Kawhi Leonard was never known for being a leader when he was on the Spurs and Raptors. He even went as far to say that Leonard was a 'paper Finals MVP' for the San Antonio Spurs.

"The distractions, like going to the strip club. The fact that you took that away from them and said, 'lock in', they didn't have professionals," Arenas said. "They didn't have a LeBron James... you gotta put it in perspective. You can't fault [Kawhi] for not being a leader, when his accolades he wasn't one. When he won his first Finals MVP in San Antonio, he wasn't a leader. He was the paper Finals MVP."

Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how anyone wants to spin it, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George never won an NBA championship together on a team that many expected to be title favorites for multiple years.

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