Kawhi Leonard Makes Shocking Statement on Raptors Championship Team

The Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA finals with Kawhi Leonard as their leading scorer.

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors have Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes taking part in the All-Star Game, but a few former players from the organization will also be on the floor.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, and Miami Heat guard Norman Powell are three members of the 2019 Raptors that won the NBA championship. All three of them have emerged as All-Stars in their future homes, and each of them has found a way to thrive. Leonard spoke with reporters about Powell becoming an All-Star for the first time, but gave an interesting response.

"You know, everybody comes into their own, but the talent wasn't there, but the work ethic was, and that's the reason why everybody thought they were better than they were," Leonard said.

"They competed at a high level every night, and I'm happy for him, especially for Norm, even trying to get here. He was able to leave here and still make a contribution to the Heat, and he made it, so I'm happy for him."

"The talent wasn't there, but the work ethic was. That's the reason why we won."

Kawhi reflects on the 2019 Raptors team, and expresses how happy he is for Norman Powell making his first All-Star Game 🌟 pic.twitter.com/WbGyEAsnyV

— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2026

Kawhi Leonard Claims 2019 Raptors' Talent 'Wasn't There'

It's a bold claim to make for a team that won the NBA finals, but there's ways in which this could be misconstrued. In all likelihood, Leonard misspoke because Toronto did have a lot of talent on that roster.

On top of Leonard, Powell and Siakam, the team had another pair of all-stars in Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet. The fact that six players on that roster ended up making an All-Star team in their career is a sign that the talent was absolutely there. Perhaps Leonard was saying that the team wasn't the most talented that particular season as they faced off against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, who were led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant.

However, the Raptors still came out on top in six games, and they put in a lot of time, effort, and energy towards pulling off that upset. It should be fulfilling for the Raptors that the team is still being talked about and seen in a positive light nearly seven years after they hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy. The legacy of that particular Raptors squad continues to thrive, and it will as long as the players on the roster continue to play at a high level in the NBA.