TORONTO • If anyone came to boo Kawhi Leonard on his first return to Toronto since leaving the National Basketball Association champions in the summer, it was sure hard to hear them over all the cheering.
The forward received his championship ring - encrusted with more than 650 diamonds - to deafening applause and chants of "MVP! MVP!" before the Los Angeles Clippers faced the Raptors on Wednesday night.
Earlier, the reigning Finals Most Valuable Player said he was expecting a mix of cheers and boos from Toronto fans, who watched him lead the Raptors to a six-game victory over Golden State in June.
"There'll be some cheers, but definitely, more boos because they want to win the game," Leonard said at a shoot-around practice.
"They don't want to be cheering for an opposing player."
His former teammates, along with Toronto team executives and coach Nick Nurse, gathered in a circle at centre court before tip-off to greet their former star, who signed with the Clippers in free agency.
Leonard embraced each player in turn before guard Kyle Lowry presented him with his ring. After slipping it on, he raised his arms to the crowd and waved.
"It's always great to see guys get a ring, especially when they're on your team now," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "This is a different one, though.
"It's a really cool one because he was the leader of the group, coming back to get it in front of a crowd. I've never experienced it like this. This is special. It's cool."
Leonard also said he experienced "flashbacks" of that championship run as the Clippers drove to the Scotiabank Arena.
Of his remarkable season with the Raptors, which culminated in the first NBA championship title for a Canadian team, he said: "The ride was fun.
"I had a great time last year with the coaching staff, the front office, and the players. It was a great experience. Obviously, it was different playing here for a whole country, they're all going for this one team."
He also revealed that the decision to leave the Raptors was not an easy one, adding: "I took my time, I didn't hurry up... I talked to the front office in deep detail. It was a hard choice to make."
However, he insisted it was the correct one, claiming that he was having "a great time" with his new team and he showed Toronto fans what they were missing after a team-high 23 points to lead the visitors to a 112-92 win.
The Clippers won their third successive game to improve to 19-7, second behind Western Conference leaders the Los Angeles Lakers. The Raptors, who were paced by a game-high 24 points from Pascal Siakam, lost their third straight at home, falling to 16-8 and fifth in the East.
Reiterating his delight at being back in his home town Los Angeles, Leonard said: "I'm happy to be there. These guys are a great team.
"We're striving for a goal (to win the team's maiden championship title)."
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