Los Angeles, June 14: Kawhi Leonard has been named the NBA Finals MVP after helping the Toronto Raptors win their first championship.
Raptors to a 114-110 win over two-time reigning champions the Golden State Warriors
The Raptors star posted 22 points as Toronto sealed a 4-2 series victory at Oracle Arena.
Leonard averaged 28.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in the six games against Golden State, who were dethroned on home court.
KAWHI LEONARD 2X FINALS MVP! #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/dabEfjSRsb
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 14, 2019
The two-time NBA champion is just the third player ever to win the Finals MVP with two different teams, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James after inspiring the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.
Leonard almost singlehandedly carried the Raptors to the first title in franchise history.
The Raptors went to him time-and-again for clutch buckets and he delivered. He even knocked down one of the biggest shots in franchise history: a crazy bouncing buzzer beater in the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.
Toronto acquired Leonard — along with Danny Green — from the Spurs in exchange for a package centred around DeMar DeRozan in a blockbuster trade last offseason.
Leonard is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent later this month.