Inside The Heat

Controversial Ex-Miami Heat Star Gives Props To Kawhi Leonard

Shandel Richardson|
Apr 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) warms up before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Apr 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) warms up before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat fans know all about the dominance of Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard led the San Antonio Spurs past the LeBron James and Dwyane Wade Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals. A decade later, Leonard is still playing like an NBA superstar. He had 39 points, five assists and three rebounds Monday to lead the Los Angeles Clippers over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their first-round series. The series is tied at 1.

The performance caught the attention of the NBA world, including former Heat guard Dion Waiters.

Here's what he posted on X, formerly Twitter: "Kawhi Leonard is reminding everybody when he’s healthy he’s a top 5 player in the league!!!!! He got game."

Waiters is known for a mostly turbulent career with the Heat in the post-LeBron era. He never lived up to the hype, with his four years in Miami filled mostly with inconsistency and non-basketball issues. He was suspended multiple times during his final season, most notably for overdosing on edibles during a team flight.

Waiters was later traded along with former lottery pick Justise Winslow to the Memphis Grizzlies. Waiters last played in the 2019-20 season with the Lakers. He has hinted about returning to the league. A former lottery pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he is only 33.

Many have compared Waiters to former Heat draft pick Michael Beasley, who was chosen No. 2 behind Derrick Rose inn 2008. Both had endless potential and talent but could never overcome personal issues.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here