Only Kawhi Leonard could possibly be the misunderstood Severus Snape. The striking parallels between the two storylines are too difficult to see it any other way.
Take a step back and think about all the emotions Kawhi Leonard put you through as a fan. There were seemingly endless highs–all the way to the championship parade–to now a confusing low. The low isn’t as low as it could have been, of course. But, the elation of the championship has faded and Kawhi left us with lingering questions and doubts.
Snape is by far the most complex character of the Harry Potter series. While he did some unforgivable things, he also made incredible sacrifices along the way to ensure that our heroes would come out on top.
Kawhi did not do unforgivable things; instead, he looked out for himself and his family and he did help the Raptors win the NBA Championship by way of late-game heroics and stoicism in rough patches. Unlike Snape, he even brought laughter to our team and a memorable last laugh at the championship parade.
But, Kawhi’s story does leave some questions about the future of the Toronto Raptors. While the team will go down in the history books, there are questions if Toronto will ever be a destination that players and personnel stay to build contention for years. As of right now, it seems that it’s a one-stop-shop before the final destination.
Snape left lingering questions, too. While we applaud Snape for infiltrating the Death Eaters and Voldemort’s minions, we are left to wonder whether or not he should have left more breadcrumbs along the way to ensure Harry that he was ostensibly a good guy. It wasn’t until Snape’s final moments that we truly learned all that he had done to keep our heroes safe.
After his death, though, Snape was blessed with a gracious acknowledgment by Harry as he named one of his children after Dumbledore and Snape. While there haven’t been any acknowledgments yet, Kawhi will surely see his number hanging in the rafters at Scotiabank Arena someday. That acknowledgment may be the most the Raptors can do for Kawhi as he delivered from his play, but left a rocky road behind him.
With the main characters all swallowed up, there are only one character and one player left that could be our titular hero.