Kawhi Leonard Net Worth: Raptors Star's Salary, Endorsements Heading To NBA Finals

Right now, to Canadians and the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi “The Klaw” Leonard is the best player in the NBA and the messiah who will lead them to the franchise’s -- and Canada’s -- first NBA title in history.

The Klaw’s value to the Raptors was on full display in Friday’s 118-109 Game 1 Finals win over the defending champion, Golden State Warriors, in Toronto. Leonard scored 23 points on 5 of 14 shooting, and wasn’t even at his best, but what he had left was still enough to lead his team in beating the Warriors.

Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr himself admitted post-game the Raptors’ defense was key to their Game 1 win. Analysts said the Warriors haven’t faced a team as good in defense as the Raptors, and Leonard is the linchpin of their defense.

Friday’s defeat was the Warriors' third straight to the Raptors this season.

While Leonard, 27, is invaluable to his team, what is his value, dollar-wise, in exchange for his prodigious offensive and defensive talents?

Kawhi Leonard’s net worth from all sources (including NBA salary and endorsements) is estimated at $35 million a year. Salary-wise, Leonard is only the 32nd highest-paid NBA player with a salary of $23 million for the 2018-19 season.

That’s because he signed only a one-year contract with the Raptors and becomes a free agent when the season ends. But the Raptors aren’t likely to lose their star small forward. News reports say Toronto will offer Leonard a five-year, $190 million contract next summer. That will give Leonard a salary of $38 million a season.

At any rate, his current salary of $35 million is a huge jump from the $3 million, $16 million and $17 million he earned as a member of the San Antonio Spurs from 2015 to 2018. His 5-year contract with the Spurs amounted to $94.3 million.

To put Leonard’s salary into perspective, Steph Curry of the Warriors is the highest paid player at $37.5 million a year, but he has a multi-year contract with the Warriors. Russell Westbrook of the OKC Thunder earns $35.7 million and Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets also earns $35.7 million.

Then there’s the endorsements. In November 2018, Leonard signed multi-year deal worth a $5 million a year to endorse New Balance. He previously turned down a 4-year, $22 million deal with Nike.

No telling how much Leonard stands to make if the Raptors win this year’s championship. But it’s gonna be huge.