Chris Rock's Distasteful Kawhi Leonard Joke Shocks Toronto Film Festival

One of the biggest scandals in NBA history has been unfolding over the last year, and while the league has nearly completed its work in the investigation, it may only be getting started in the real world. This is, of course, talking about the Los Angeles Clippers illegally funneling money to seven-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard through multiple sponsors and circumventing the salary cap in the process. 

The perception of the ordeal amongst the fans is skewed. Some see it as a joke because of how much the Clippers were forced to forfeit in order to get both Leonard and nine-time All-Star Paul George in the summer of 2019. Others are fearful of what’s to come, given that reporter Pablo Torre seemingly has more secrets to reveal about other sports franchises. This is especially true considering some believe that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer could potentially take other teams down with him if he knows they have done something similar (via PBD Podcast). 

A fanbase that isn’t taking the matter lightly is that of the Toronto Raptors. The fans feel cheated because Leonard was persuaded to leave due to illegal money funneling right after winning a championship in 2019. Now, the situation isn’t getting any better for the fans because they have been waiting for the trade to go through for the two-time Finals MVP to return to the Raptors for this season since the end of June. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was adamant with Toronto’s general manager, Bobby Webster, that Leonard would still be given the same punishments if convicted of wrongdoing, whether he was on the Raptors or Clippers. It’s been almost two weeks since the punishments were announced, yet the trade is still in limbo.

For these reasons, the people who should be avoided when making jokes about the situation are Clippers or Raptors fans. That didn’t stop comedian Chris Rock from taking his chance to throw a jab at Leonard, and he picked an interesting event to do it at: the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). As he was introducing guests for the event, he brought up the two-time DPOY out of nowhere for comedic relief.

“This next guy, wow. I really shouldn’t have got him. I might have paid him under the table, did like a Kawhi Leonard thing,” said Rock. 

After immediately receiving backlash from the crowd, Rock responded. 

“Hey, hey, you guys got a [championship] ring … Y’all knew when y’all got him back, something’s wrong. Why would they give him back?”

It’s important to note that he was not booed off the stage or anything close to it. A few people jokingly responded in the crowd, prompting him to continue further with the jokes, and a large majority of the audience laughed with him. However, it still doesn’t leave the best taste in the mouths of true, authentic Raptors fans who are frustrated with the whole situation. While this doesn’t have nearly the same magnitude, it’s not the first time the comedian has said the wrong joke to the wrong audience; Will Smith will explain that one.

At the end of the day, comedians make their money off of joking about people’s flaws and insecurities, and it should never be taken seriously. He likely meant no hard feelings toward Leonard or anyone else involved, so this shouldn’t be anything Raptors fans should cling on to. Lots of exciting basketball is right around the corner, and it is still expected that the former No. 15 pick in the 2011 NBA draft will be with the team at training camp in Quebec City to end the month.