Kawhi Leonard: Sportsman with a heart of gold

Phoebe Simcock, 30th Jun 2021
Tags: Life Blog Ambition Sport

Choosing my next inspirational person became very simple when I saw that it’s Kawhi Leonard’s birthday this week. For those of you who’ve never heard of him, it’s time to become familiar with the leading sports person with a heart of gold.

Leonard worked hard to prove that our backgrounds don’t have to stop us from achieving success, and not to let negative comments stop us from reaching our goals.

Kawhi Anthony Leonard, nicknamed The Claw, is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers. You may have seen him pop up on the news as he is currently staying off the court with an injured knee. 

Aside from his amazing sports career, Leonard is well known for being one of life’s good guys. He’s been described as NBA’s (National Basketball Association) most unique superstar, and their most human.

He’s such an inspiration to me and thousands of others.

Kawhi is the true definition of a sportsman, which is why he’s such an inspiration to me and thousands of others. He focuses on his own journey and works hard to meet his own goals rather than for the money. 

Brainy Quote summed up the essence of Kawhi with his quote, “You definitely see a difference in some guys' games when they do get paid. I'm trying to make sure I'm not that player”. By shifting his focus he has become very successful for his talents rather than his social life.

Due to a lack of showmanship on the Basketball court, and his choice not to be involved with media complications, social media, and interviews, Kawhi has been overlooked in his profession. 

His quiet and private nature have led people to underestimate his talent. Inc highlighted one of his most famous and thought-provoking quotes, “I like being the underdog so they don't expect what's going to happen. It pushes me to work harder and do the things I'm not doing better”.

Kawhi is very close to all of his family.

Kawhi is very close to all of his family and even joined the Los Angeles Clippers to be nearer to them. 

We often celebrate someone by their looks, their online personality, and their public acts, but their achievements are sometimes missed.

Kawhi wanted to make it clear that you didn’t need a privileged childhood to be successful. Also mentioned in the Brainy Quotes, the player said, “I could have gone to a bigger school. I use it as motivation going to a school that loved me. I wanted to put them on the map and show everyone that you don't need to go to a top school to make it in the NBA”.

Our backgrounds do not have to stop us from achieving success.

By stating this, he proves to us all that our backgrounds do not have to stop us from achieving success. If we only remember one thing today, let it be this.