Leonard dominated the All-Star Game in front of his home crowd.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game was held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Sunday, and no player made more of the moment than Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.
Playing in front of the home crowd that has watched him carry the Clippers through one of the more unlikely turnarounds in recent memory, Leonard put on a show that fans inside the building won't soon forget.
After the game, Leonard kept it simple when talking about what it meant to play in front of his own fans during All-Star Weekend.
"It's been fun," Leonard said. "They (the crowd) always do a great job even during our games of just keeping us locked in and giving us energy throughout the whole 48 minutes."
Leonard Catches Fire in Front of Home Fans
Those fans got exactly what they came for on Sunday. Leonard was added to the All-Star roster as a late selection by Commissioner Adam Silver after being left off the initial starters and reserves lists, a decision that drew plenty of backlash around the league.
Once he got on the court, though, he made sure nobody would question whether he belonged.
In Team USA Stripes' matchup against Team World, Leonard erupted for 31 points in just 12 minutes of play.
He shot 11-of-13 from the field and 6-of-7 from beyond the arc while "MVP" chants rained down from The Wall and the rest of the Intuit Dome crowd.
He capped off the performance with a go-ahead three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to give Team Stripes a 48-45 win and eliminate Team World.
It was the kind of dominant stretch that reminded everyone just how special Leonard can be when he's healthy and locked in.
Can Kawhi Lead a Young Clippers Team to the Playoffs?
The bigger picture for Leonard and the Clippers is what comes next.
Los Angeles heads into the All-Star break sitting at 26-28 and in the play-in picture in the Western Conference.
That record doesn't tell the whole story, either, because the Clippers started the season at a brutal 6-21 before rattling off 20 wins in 27 games to get back into the conversation.
Leonard has been the driving force behind it all.
He's averaging a career-high 27.9 points per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals this season, which ranks second in the NBA.
His 32-game streak of scoring 20 or more points was the fifth-longest in franchise history, and head coach Ty Lue has called him the best player in the NBA over the last six weeks.
With James Harden and Ivica Zubac traded before the deadline, the roster around Leonard looks a lot younger and a lot different than it did at the start of the year.
But there is reason for hope. Bennedict Mathurin, who came over from Indiana in the Zubac deal, is averaging 17.8 points and 5.4 rebounds on the season and has already flashed his potential in his first couple of games with the team.
Darius Garland, acquired from Cleveland in the Harden trade, is expected to make his Clippers debut shortly after the break and should give the team a legitimate second playmaker alongside Leonard.
The second half of the season will be all about building chemistry with a revamped roster and seeing how far this group can climb.
If Sunday's All-Star performance was any sign of where Leonard's game is right now, the Clippers have every reason to believe their star can lead them into the postseason.
The home fans at Intuit Dome will be there every step of the way, just like they were this weekend.