# Kawhi Leonard social anxiety?



## fm5827

Just watching the NBA finals, does anyone think he might have SA? These interviewers are really starting to piss me off asking him questions about why hes so quiet. Some of them are almost making fun of him because of it.


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## sebastian1

Wow, you guys get the NBA finals over there in NZ?

I'm not a big sports fan so I don't know much about Leonard, but it certainly caught my attention tonight when one of the commentators described him as "the quietest player in the NBA".

And is Kawaii Leonard a thing yet?


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## fm5827

sebastian1 said:


> Wow, you guys get the NBA finals over there in NZ?
> 
> I'm not a big sports fan so I don't know much about Leonard, but it certainly caught my attention tonight when one of the commentators described him as "the quietest player in the NBA".
> 
> And is Kawaii Leonard a thing yet?


Yeah its on pay tv, its one of the most popular sports here actually. They seriously won't stop going on about how quiet he is though, they bring it up pretty much everytime they talk about him. It just simply isn't acceptable or something.


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## ASB20

He very well might have some type of anxiety - maybe not SA, maybe so, although I figure that the Spurs's sort of "family" environment with Duncan and Popovich heading things up helps him fit in with the team (ie, if you heard Pop tonight complimenting Kawhi 1-on-1 after the final buzzer sounded - it very much sounded like a father-to-son thing, the kind of talk Pop's had with Tim and Tony a million times. No pressure, no heat, just reinforcement and advice in Pop's flavor.)

Kawhi's turned down interviews in the past, and yeah, the guy rarely shows emotion or speaks much. He has had some tragic stuff in his past (his father was shot and killed 6 years ago), but who knows what the motivation behind his demeanor is.

Regardless, he's one of my favorite players in the Association, and not just 'cuz I'm a hardcore Spurs fan. It's refreshing to see guys like him succeeding and doing well. Hope he sticks around San Antonio (hilarious that the team I root for has the initials "SAS", by the way) for his career like Duncan and the Admiral.


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## fm5827

Yeah hes probably been my favourite player the last couple of years, so its been great to see him playing the way he has the last two games. Only just read that about his father a few days ago, I had no idea that must have been incredibly traumatic especially at that age.


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## NoHobbies

Some of these guys are just silent around tv reporters


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## Trizord

can't really say cause not everyone who is silent have SA. Maybe he just need some rest and focus in the game or so.


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## Mousey9

Kawaiiiiii (✿◠‿◠) 
I don't know if he has SA or not, he might just be one of those quiet introverted types. It's quite refreshing to watch him play while as a pivotal part of the Spurs team in this series. You could argue that he has been the best player for the spurs (wouldn't it be something if he won FMVP). I just love his demeanor, how he works hard, doesn't show emotions and is extremely humble.


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## ASB20

NoHobbies said:


> Some of these guys are just silent around tv reporters


Nah, Kawhi's quiet pretty much around everyone - teammates included, as Tiago Splitter and coach Pop have made light of from time to time. Pop even included social anxiety in his list of "eh, Kawhi's quiet" explanations, although only as a potential speculation.

Sounds like no one in the organization really cares, though, considering that the locker room's one of the best in the NBA. Although, as Pop says, as Leonard evolves into more of a leader for the team, he'll need to adapt as a face of the franchise as well - which naturally will come with more media exposure.

There's a better read on the Washington Post that goes into Kawhi and how he does things:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...02efac-f1c2-11e3-914c-1fbd0614e2d4_story.html


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## MaxAnxiety

Not sure really regarding SA always so tough to tell with these guys. Not much of a Spurs fan but I always liked Leonard since he came into the league 3 years ago or so. His stats won't knock you over but a very good all around player and he's only going to get better


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## coldsorehighlighter

Probably a lot of people suffer from social anxiety without it greatly effecting their ability to do their job. You'd need to know more about how he lives his personal life to know if he has a social anxiety disorder.

The way he goes about his business is great, though...he might be my new favourite basketball player. I hope he stays the way he is. I always have this fantasy about being a reclusive superstar athlete.


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## NoHobbies

How many NBA teas have won a title without an elite player

14 Spurs
04 Pistons
79 Sonics

that's all that stands out to me


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## ASB20

NoHobbies said:


> How many NBA teas have won a title without an elite player
> 
> 14 Spurs
> 04 Pistons
> 79 Sonics
> 
> that's all that stands out to me


Pretty much.

On team merits, you could make a case that the '78 Bullets were a blah sort of title winner (six games over .500 and didn't exactly run the Sonics out of the house in the Finals), but Unseld was a special player for them. Definitely leagues better than DJ for the Sonics at that point.


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## scooby

NoHobbies said:


> How many NBA teas have won a title without an elite player
> 
> 14 Spurs
> 04 Pistons
> 79 Sonics
> 
> that's all that stands out to me


I dunno, I'd consider Tony Parker elite. And even though Duncan is old, he is still a beast with his old man game.


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