Toronto has brought Kawhi Leonard back into the fold, announcing Wednesday that the veteran forward agreed to a multi-year extension after arriving from the LA Clippers on Sept. 14. The club did not release the contract’s financial details, but the move keeps a familiar centerpiece in place for a Raptors team that once rode Leonard’s two-way dominance to its first championship.
Key takeaways
- Leonard returns to Toronto after spending the 2018-19 title season with the Raptors.
- He posted 27.9 points per game in 65 appearances for the Clippers last season, the best scoring average of his career.
- The 34-year-old made the All-NBA Second Team, played in the All-Star Game and placed seventh in MVP voting last season.
- Leonard owns two NBA titles, two Finals MVP awards and two Defensive Player of the Year trophies.
- Toronto acquired Leonard from the Clippers on Sept. 14 before finalizing the new deal.
A championship connection returns
Leonard’s lone previous Raptors season remains the most significant in franchise history. During the 2018-19 campaign, he helped Toronto claim the organization’s first NBA championship and was voted Finals MVP. He also collected All-NBA Second Team and All-Defensive Second Team honors that year.
The reunion follows a productive 2025-26 season in Los Angeles. Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 32.1 minutes a night across 65 games. It extended his streak of 20-point scoring seasons to seven straight.
At 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, Leonard gives Toronto a proven scoring wing with the ability to handle late-clock possessions while taking difficult defensive assignments. His return also reconnects the Raptors with the player who delivered the defining postseason run in team history.
Leonard’s resume entering his 15th NBA season
Across 798 regular-season games, including 769 starts, Leonard has produced career marks of 20.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals in 31.8 minutes per game. His 14 NBA seasons have included stops with San Antonio from 2011 through 2018, Toronto and the Clippers from 2019 through 2026.
The Los Angeles native is a seven-time All-Star, with seven All-NBA selections and seven All-Defensive Team recognitions. In addition to his championship and Finals MVP honors, he has twice been named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Leonard entered the league as the 15th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Indiana made the selection, then dealt his rights to San Antonio, where his climb from defensive specialist to franchise-level star began.
