LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was impressed by the ring ceremony the Raptors held for Kawhi Leonard in his return to Toronto.
It sounds like Leonard was, too.
"It meant a lot. It meant a lot," Rivers said. "Some players just don't let you in, but I can tell you, that ovation to him was very heartfelt. There's no doubt about that. And it meant a lot to him.
"I thought what the Raptors did overall — like the video, the players coming out, all of them who played with him — that's the best that I've seen since I've been in the league. That's a really classy move by the organization and then by the fans as well."
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After announcing the Clippers' starting lineup before the game, the Raptors played a video for Leonard on the jumbotron that included all of his best moments as a Raptor to honour his historic season with the franchise. It included a projection on the Scotiabank Arena court of the iconic shot he hit against the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs that punched Toronto's ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Raptors' tribute video to Kawhi included "The Shot Heard Around the World" 🏆 pic.twitter.com/LiVMrC16Dr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 12, 2019
Leonard then shook hands with the likes of Masai Ujiri, Nick Nurse, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka before receiving his ring at centre court from Kyle Lowry, all while being showered with cheers and MVP chants from the crowd.
Board Man got his ring pic.twitter.com/NzUZgLM886
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 12, 2019
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Leonard went on to lead the Clippers to a big win over his former team. He scored a team-high 23 points and dished out six assists in LA's 112-92 victory.
The Raptors will likely hold a similar ceremony for Danny Green when the Los Angeles Lakers make their only trip to Toronto this season, on March 24.
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