Log in

The Latest: In Toronto, Kawhi Leonard speaks for first time

Posted 9/24/18

The Latest: In Toronto, Kawhi Leonard speaks for first time by By The Associated Press , Associated Press - 24 September 2018 12:25-04:00 The Latest on NBA media day from around the league on Monday …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

The Latest: In Toronto, Kawhi Leonard speaks for first time

Posted

The Latest: In Toronto, Kawhi Leonard speaks for first time

by By The Associated Press , Associated Press - 24 September 2018 12:25-04:00

The Latest on NBA media day from around the league on Monday (all times local):

12:25 p.m.

Kawhi Leonard knows that people want to know his future plans.

He's more focused on the here and now.

Leonard spoke out as a member of the Toronto Raptors for the first time on Monday, and one of the questions he fielded at media day was about his future — specifically, whether it includes staying in Toronto past this season.

He didn't offer any hints. Leonard says when it comes to what's next, he looks at it "as a day-to-day process."

Leonard says his focus "is on this year, this group that I have and striving to get to a championship. We all want to win and if you're looking in the future you're going to trip over the present."

The Raptors held their media day in Toronto, and are flying to British Columbia for training camp that starts Tuesday.

___

11:45 a.m.

New Washington Wizards center Dwight Howard could miss the start of training camp with a bad back.

Wizards coach Scott Brooks said Monday at the team's media day that Howard's back is sore and his status is considered day-to-day.

Brooks says "we'll see how he feels" on Tuesday, the first day of camp.

The coached that the Wizards are "not going to rush him."

___

11:35 a.m.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra predicts that most Heat players won't sleep well on Monday night, because they know what's coming in the first day of practice on Tuesday.

Dwyane Wade said Monday at the Heat's media day that he'll sleep just fine.

The three-time NBA champion who's entering his 16th and final season says he's actually excited to get going, simply because he knows these are the first steps in what he's calling "the last dance" of his career.

Wade says that he's "trying to enjoy this, the first of the last, whatever it is, the last of the first, I don't know, the last of the lasts. I'm just trying to enjoy it. There's nothing that they can do to me this year that I haven't seen or been a part of or done."

___

2:35 a.m.

The NBA offseason is over.

Media day — the day where most of the league's 30 teams will have players and coaches answer questions about how they spent their summer vacation and discuss other more-pertinent matters — is Monday around the league. Dallas and Philadelphia got their media-day responsibilities out of the way late last week, because they are off to China for preseason games soon.

The other 28 teams will have availabilities throughout the day.

Golden State will be asked about the quest to win a third straight title. Minnesota will be talking about Karl-Anthony Towns' new super-max $190 million deal and Jimmy Butler's trade demand. LeBron James will draw much attention as he speaks in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey. And in Miami, Dwyane Wade will hold the final media-day news conference of his career.

The 28 teams with media days Monday all open training camp Tuesday.

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.