The NBA world was in stitches when it learned from The Athletic that Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard talked some extremely weird trash while playing at San Diego State.
According to his former teammates he’d say, “Buckets. Layup” or tell an opponent “Nope, nope, nope.” But the best phrase by far was, “Board man gets paid.” It’s a reminder that Leonard is fascinating precisely because he’s not like anyone else in the NBA and maybe in sports.
After the Raptors’ Game 3 win, Leonard was asked about all that “board man” talk, and he didn’t seem embarrassed about it at all:
“I used to say that back when I was in high school and college, just wanting to get to this league. It’s about working hard, outworking an opponent. Rebounds help you win games, big rebounds, offensive rebounds, limiting the team to one shot. That used to be our motto, some of us in college (who) were trying to get to this point.”
When you put it that way, it totally makes sense.
