NBA trash talk never really ends within the confines of the game itself, and two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard just showed that not even a popular streetball video from China was spared from his trash talking.

In the viral video, Leonard can be heard saying, "What is this? This guy's over here playing pros, and he scored 60 points on Paul George? There's no way he's going to score 10 points on me. I'll lock this dude up. He looks trash."

Leonard's reaction stemmed from George's 101-60 win over Chinese streetballer Bai Jing in a 100-point challenge in Changsha, where Bai briefly led 25-22 before George's elite conditioning and a closing 24-0 run sealed the result.

Leonard's confidence isn't just talk either. The four-time NBA All-Defensive Team player and two-time Finals MVP is scheduled to lead his very own Asia tour, kicking off in Hong Kong on August 15, with a showdown against Bai Jing anticipated creating much buzz.

The words spread rapidly via social media platforms, and the responses came back quite divided.

Fans React to Kawhi Leonard's Rare Trash Talk

His words have generated mixed reactions among social media users because Leonard does not come off as a trash-talking player.

"This is the most I've seen Kawhi talk ever," one fan noted. It has been well known that Leonard tends to answer questions in interview settings in short responses. This makes it particularly unusual for him to get animated about the video.

Another one said, "Insane way of PR," implying that the comments seemed to be a planned PR move. The Asia tour by Leonard, which includes Hong Kong, Chengdu, and Shanghai, along with his MANMYTH clothing line, prompted some fans to doubt that the timing was just coincidental.

“Context?” one of the reactions read, referring to the fact that people were unclear about how and why Leonard responded to something related to his ex-teammate and not to his own match.

Bai Jing's initial 25-22 lead overshadowed the final 101-60 score.

On the other hand, another comment read, “Honestly, I love seeing Kawhi like this,” indicating the happiness that fans have seeing him in such an entertaining mood.

"My goat" is another retort, which shows how the two championships that Leonard had in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs and 2019 with the Toronto Raptors continue to influence his fanbase in defending him.

It is evident from the various reactions that the fans are equally split in their support for the statements of Kawhi Leonard, as much as they are entertained by them.

Can you believe that Kawhi Leonard would be able to keep Bai Jing under 10 points on court one day? Comment below.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta