NBA Finals 2019: Toronto Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard named Finals MVP

Scott Rafferty

NBA Finals 2019: Toronto Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard named Finals MVP image

For the second time in his career, Kawhi Leonard has been named MVP of the NBA Finals.

Leonard led the Toronto Raptors over the Golden State Warriors in spectacular fashion. He had a quiet Game 1 by his standards, but he scored a team-high 30 points in Toronto's Game 3 victory at Oracle Arena. He followed that up with 36 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and two assists without turning the ball over once in Game 4.


In doing so, Leonard joined some impressive company.


Leonard then scored 22 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and two steals in Game 6 to secure the franchise's first title.

Leonard joins the likes of Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Tim Duncan as the only players in league history to win the award multiple times . He's also only the third player to be named Finals MVP on two different teams, LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar being the others.

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.