Spurs Player, MVP Kawhi Leonard, Has Roots in Riverside County

Kawhi Leonard, who attended high school in Moreno Valley and Riverside, was named the Most Valuable Player of the National Basketball Association finals this weekend after he and the San Antonio Spurs clinched a five-game series win over LeBron James and the Miami Heat in San Antonio.

The 22-year-old forward attended Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley before transferring to King High School in Riverside, where he helped lead the boy's basketball team to a 30-3 season and top-10 national ranking.

Leonard, who was named California's Mr. Basketball after his senior year at King, also played two years of college basketball at San Diego State University before he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers as the 15th overall pick in 2011. He was traded soon after to the Spurs.

In the finals, Leonard averaged 17.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the clincher, which the Spurs won 104-87, securing the NBA title four games to one. He had 20 points and 14 rebounds in game four, 29 points and four rebounds in game three and nine points and two rebounds in each of the first two games of the series, according to NBA.com.

– City News Service.