It was a vintage NBA Finals that will live long in the memory of basketball fans all over the world.
There was drama from the very first game up until the last moment.
There was Kevin Durant’s heartbreaking injury, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet’s breakout playoff games, and every single game was a tight affair.
But standing head and shoulders above everyone on the court throughout the Finals was Kawhi Leonard.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri was lambasted just over a year ago for trading away franchise player DeMar DeRozan for Leonard.
However, the gamble has paid off in the biggest way possible as Leonard led the Raptors to their first ever NBA title.
It was a remarkable playoffs for the 27-year-old in general, finishing with 14 30-plus point games.
But it was in the Finals where he truly shone and was duly named the 2019 NBA Finals MVP.
With this award, Leonard joins some elite company by becoming only the third player in history to be named the NBA Finals MVP with two different teams.