Years before Victor Wembanyama cemented himself as the true heir apparent to Tim Duncan as the next dominant Spurs star, San Antonio thought it had uncovered the next face of the franchise after a shrewd draft-night trade in 2011. Kawhi Leonard, an under-discussed wing out of San Diego State, quickly made an outsized impact with the Spurs after being acquired for George Hill, and in his third NBA season won NBA Finals MVP, leading the aging core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to their final NBA title.
Leonard averaged 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, shot over 61% from the field and knocked down 11 of 19 threes in the series as San Antonio took down the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh Heat in five games. The series ultimately ended that four-year dynastic run for Miami, as James would return to the Cavaliers that summer.
