NBA Superfan Hall Of Fame Inductee Throws Shade At Kawhi Leonard

The Toronto Raptors won their first and only NBA title in 2019, but things have not been the same since then. Several stars, including Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol and Danny Green, have moved on since the NBA championship conquest and joined other teams.

If there is one person who remains hopeful about the Raptors' future, it would have to be Nav Bhatia, who became the first NBA fan to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The 69-year-old "Raptors Superfan" recently appeared on the "Sports For All Philippines" podcast hosted by Filipino journalists Vincent Juico and Brian Yalung. The Canadian businessman was gracious enough to answer several NBA-related questions on Saturday.

Bhatia was asked about his take on the Raptors' fortunes since that 2019 NBA title run. He admitted that things have not been going well for the franchise but said he was confident that the Raptors will bounce back with a vengeance.

“After you are on top of the world, it’s very hard to keep up there. Everybody down is trying to pull you down. It’s not easy even in our human life. It is good to be on the top but it is very hard to stay on the top. And that is what happened to us when we won the championship in 2019 in spite of being the underdogs,” Bhatia explained.

Bhatia also pointed out several factors that contributed to the Raptors' woes this season. He singled out fans as a vital missing factor for the Toronto Raptors, whose players feed on energy. Looking at the next season, the Canadian said he is confident that it will be a different story.

“Let me tell you one thing. This coming year, this season, we are coming back in October, we are hopefully playing again in our arena, our team is playing in front of their fans and we are going to be rolling back at the top of the Eastern conference,” Bhatia added.

The Raptors are likely to target several players in NBA free agency, and Bhatia admitted that they need to fill in their hole at the center. But beyond that, he said he is clueless about the players head coach Nick Nurse and company may target.

Speaking of potential NBA free agents, Kawhi Leonard could be one of them. Best remembered for being a part of the 2019 NBA champion team, Bhatia did not mince words when he was asked about the two-time NBA champion.

“You know what, people say that Kawhi won the championship for us. I never believed that I said it loud and clear in 2019. It’s not a player who wins a championship, it’s a team which wins a championship. And look. If a player would have won a championship then LeBron [James] would not have left Cleveland [Cavaliers] and to go to Miami [Heat] to get a championship. It’s a team thing,” the 69-year-old explained.

Leonard is best known for that decision that saw him move to the Los Angeles Clippers together with Paul George — something that has yet to reap dividends. Now, the Clips are struggling and have their hands full against the Dallas Mavericks, now trailing 1-2, the Associated Press reported.

“Look at where they are now, they may not even make it to the second-round. And I tell you one thing. He is not going to win a championship anymore. The Raptors gave him a championship and San Antonio [Spurs] gave him a championship. But when it goes to your head that you are the guy, that you got the team the championship, that is when the trouble comes,” Bhatia added.