Viral video shows Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard bumping shoulders postgame, but what really happened?

Scott Rafferty

Viral video shows Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard bumping shoulders postgame, but what really happened? image

Maybe Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard don't have beef after all.

Following Phoenix's Game 2 win over LA to even the first-round series, a clip made the rounds on social media of Paul and Leonard bumping into each other postgame.

This clip alone has over one million views:

While Twitter was quick to overreact to the video, there might not be as much to the "exchange" as it may seem on the surface.

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The next day, TNT's Chris Haynes tweeted that he "personally witnessed" the incident involving the two stars up close. He said it was purely "accidental" and that Paul and Leonard are "good."

Leonard stole the show in Game 1 of the series, leading the Clippers to victory with 38 points, five rebounds and five assists. He followed it up with a 31-point outing in Game 2, but it wasn't enough to overcome 38 points from Devin Booker and 25 points from Kevin Durant.

Paul was Phoenix's fourth-leading scorer in Game 2, but he helped seal the deal with eight of his 16 points coming in the fourth quarter.

MORE: Chris Paul on the art of sign-stealing in the NBA

Tied at 1-1, the series now shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday.

According to Haynes, Paul underwent an X-ray on his right hand after Game 2 and the results came back clean. His status for Game 3 is currently unknown.

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.