Steph Curry Leaves No Doubt on His Opinion of Kawhi Leonard
Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are fighting to keep their season alive on Wednesday night. They face the Los Angeles Clippers on the road in a single-elimination play-in game at Intuit Dome.
The winner of Wednesday's contest will face the Phoenix Suns to determine the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The loser, however, will see their season come to an end.
Curry will do everything in his power to make sure that this is not the case for the Warriors. The two-time NBA MVP, however, will need to contend with Kawhi Leonard, who is equally determined to lead the Clippers to victory.
Curry and Leonard are two of the top superstars in the NBA today. They face off on Wednesday night with the season on the line for both of their teams.
Curry had nothing but high praise for his opponent ahead of tip-off.
"That's kind of why the play-in matters, and obviously what you look forward to towards the playoffs because you know there's going to be somebody on the side that is either up and coming or somebody that you've had a long history with that has a resume that is stacked," Curry said. "So Kawhi is definitely that. He always brings the best out of you.
"It's an extreme challenge every single night. In their home building, you've got to expect that he's going to play well. You've just got to try to make it as hard as possible on him.
Curry, 38, is now in his 17th season in the NBA. Leonard is four years younger than the Warriors guard, and is currently in his 15th season in the league.
Curry did not leave any doubt on his opinion on Leonard, particularly at this point in their respective careers.
"But there is an appreciation, respect and just an admiration for what we're all able to still be doing at this level," Curry said.
There is an appreciation, respect, and admiration for what we're all able to still be doing at this level."
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2026
Steph on Kawhi ahead of the @SoFi Play-In showdown
GSW/LAC is LIVE on Prime pic.twitter.com/0Ua6edS1MM
As of writing, Leonard and the Clippers hold a slim advantage over the Warriors. L.A. is up 43-38 with six minutes left in the second quarter.
Related: Steph Curry Makes 'Super Easy' Claim Before Play-In Game vs. Clippers
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 8:07 PM.