I’ll be honest — when I first heard Kawhi Leonard’s comments over the weekend at All-Star media day, I might have taken the headline a bit too personally and reacted emotionally based on face value. For context, Leonard spoke to reporters, and Raptors analyst Will Lou asked about Powell’s full-circle All-Star nod and the impressive team success looking back. Leonard had some praise for his former teammate and organization, but his comments also seemed like a subtle backhanded compliment to Raptors Nation.
Many Raptors fans took issue with Kawhi Leonard's recent remarks
Leonard said (full video clip here):
"Everybody comes into their own, but you know, the talent wasn't there, but the work ethic was and that's the reason why we won. Everybody thought they were better than they were, competed at a high level every night, and I'm happy for 'em. "Kawhi Leonard, Feb 14, 2026
I waited over the weekend to let the comments settle and to gauge the overall sentiment, not just from my own perspective but also from Raptors fans across various discussion circles. Whether they’re die-hard Raptors supporters or casual Torontonians reminiscing about that magical 2019 season, the general consensus seems to be that Kawhi Leonard’s recent comments were a subtle shot at his former team. I don’t believe it was malicious, but when he said “the talent wasn’t there,” it’s simple to interpret that as implying his old teammates were subpar.
I'll give Leonard the benefit of the doubt and assume he just misspoke. My main takeaway was that he still praised the Raptors’ work ethic in the heat of it all. As the saying goes, "hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard," and that’s really the core of the Raptors’ identity. But don’t get it twisted — the Raptors, especially that version, might just be one of the most stacked squads of all time.
Referring to how Will Lou addressed the question, he noted that the team had six players who are now NBA All-Stars. Even if not all reached that level during the championship run, Leonard's comment that "the talent wasn't there" overlooks their accomplishments. While players like VanVleet, Powell, Siakam, Anunoby, and Boucher peaked after the title, did Kawhi forget that Lowry, Green, Gasol, and Ibaka all had significant accolades at that time?
By that point, Lowry was a multi-time All-Star and had an All-NBA appearance; Green already had a title with Kawhi in San Antonio and an All-Defense nod; Gasol was a multi-time All-Star, All-NBA, and DPOY; Ibaka was a defensive force with multiple All-Defense honors. Just within this tier, those comments about talent don’t hold much weight.
I get that Leonard might have meant Toronto wasn’t seen as a talent-heavy team outside of the "Klaw." But even then, it kind of sounds like he’s overestimating himself — if the talent wasn’t there, what does that make him? Even I have to admit, when you look at Toronto’s star power compared to the 76ers, the Bucks, or the Warriors in the Finals, their talent on paper didn’t seem to match up. Yet, they outworked and outgritted all those teams that should’ve been considered better.
I see what Leonard was trying to convey, but his wording opened up a whole can of worms. That’s the issue with loaded responses like this — they tend to lead down a rabbit hole of interpretation. Raptors fans are some of the most passionate in the league, and I wouldn’t expect them not to get worked up if their team is the subject. While I share some of the confusion, I think it’s fair to defend the esteemed 2019 championship roster members and also try to understand the positive point Leonard was making.
Still, for most of Raptors Nation, it felt like a slap in the face.