July 17, 2014
SAN DIEGO - Former San Diego State men's basketball All-American and current San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard won an ESPY Award Wednesday night in Los Angeles, California, for Best Championship Performance.
Leonard, who helped the Spurs win the NBA championship last month and was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, picked up the honor over Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion), former UCONN guard Shabazz Napier (NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player) and Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (World Series MVP).
In San Antonio's 4-1 series win over the Miami Heat, Leonard averaged 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocked shots in 33.4 minutes. From the floor, the third-year forward shot 61.2 percent, including 57.9 percent from behind the three-point arc.
In the final three games alone, Leonard reached the 20-point plateau in each of those outings and put together a pair of double-double efforts. The all-NBA Defensive Team performer exploded for 29 points in game three, before going for 20 and 14 in game four, and 22 and 10 in the series-clincher to become SDSU's first NBA champion.
Leonard was a two-year letterwinner for the Aztecs, leading them to three Mountain West titles (2010 tournament, 2011 regular season, 2011 tournament) and the 2011 NCAA Sweet 16 before ultimately finishing with a school-record 34 wins. Following his stint on Montezuma Mesa, Leonard was a first-round NBA draft pick, going 15th to the Indiana Pacers before being traded moments later to the Spurs.