Hart may be the one known for making people laugh. But this time, it was him losing control of his emotions.
Derrick Rose once asked, “Why can’t I be MVP of the league?” during his Media Day interview.
LeBron James, during this year’s Media Day, said, “I have a lot left in the tank.”
Kawhi Leonard, then of the Toronto Raptors, took an entirely different approach: letting out a highly unexpected laugh that overwhelmed social media.
An instant classic
At the time, Leonard had been out of the spotlight for more than a year. When he was last on the court, he proved he was one of the league’s devastating two-way forces, leading the San Antonio Spurs to the Western Conference Finals in a tough Western Conference.
Against the Golden State Warriors in Game 1, Kawhi helped his team build a 23-point advantage in Oracle Arena. To this day, many speculate the Spurs had the Dubs’ number.
Fourteen months later, No. 2 demanded a trade, and he eventually landed with the Raptors, who dumped franchise icon DeMar DeRozan in the deal. It was a move that gave way to one of the most iconic media moments in league history.
His laugh sent the internet through a roller coaster of uncontrollable emotions. When renowned actor and comedian Kevin Hart heard Leonard’s strange laugh, he let out his own laugh wave of emotion worth remembering.
“What just happened?” Hart asked after uncontrollable laughter sent him wiggling in different directions. “[Mocks Leonard’s laugh] It’s like not even a laugh. It’s like an outburst. [Mocks laugh a second time].”
“Im’a punch em in the face,” the comedian replied when asked what he would do if someone laughed like that on his show.
The last laugh
Kawhi had everyone laughing at him before. In the end, he was the one doing the laughing.
It didn’t take many games into his Raptors tenure for the two-way superstar to re-establish his top rank in the league. Months after being swept in the semifinals, Toronto was off to a roaring start in the 2018 season, and it was largely thanks to the play of No. 2, who assembled a strong case for MVP by mid-November.
The Raps maintained elite play throughout the rest of the regular season. And after playoff series wins against the Orlando Magic, the Philadelphia 76ers, the East-leading Milwaukee Bucks, and league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi lifted his franchise to its first-ever NBA title, capturing his second NBA Finals MVP award.
At the Raptors championship parade days later, this time, it was “The Klaw” having all the fun. When he addressed fans at the parade, he signed off by mocking his own laugh and sending everyone in attendance into an uproar.
