The Spurs retiring Kawhi Leonard's number would be an absolute joke

Imagine hiring a dog sitter to watch the family pet while you go on vacation; they sell your pet while you're away, but the neighbors still want you to leave them a five-star review. That's basically how it feels to see someone suggest the Spurs should retire Kawhi Leonard's number when he hangs up his jersey.

A new article in The Athletic lists the names of active players who should have their numbers retired when their careers are over. It's broken down into tiers, and the first one is labeled "Definitely will be retired." That's where Klaw's name is, and that's about as egregious as it gets for a couple of reasons.

Kawhi Leonard burned the Spurs bridge to the ground

We don't need to rehash everything that happened on Leonard's way out the door. Instead, I'll use a few more metaphors like the one that started this piece.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili are one of the most respected trios in the history of this game. In San Antonio, they're kings, and the Big 3 collectively gave Kawhi the keys to the kingdom they built. Then he threw said keys into the ocean as he snuck out under the moonlight, leaving the gate open for looters. Should they throw a feast in his honor?

Let's give it a Marvel twist.

Klaw fooled us all into believing he was locked in as the leader of the next Silver and Black era of dominance, but it was all a trick. Kawhi was supposed to be Thor, but he turned out to be Loki in disguise. The God of Mischief's deception and ruthlessness led to Odin's death and Asgard's ruin. Should the remaining Asgardians build him a statue?

We could even go down the Anakin Skywalker path, since Victor Wembanyama is a fan of Star Wars (so am I).

Leonard was meant to be the chosen one but fell victim to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. We all remember the atrocities he committed against those who trusted him when he flipped. Do you think they should put Anakin's photo up on the wall at a new Jedi Temple after what he did?

I could go on for days, but I think I made my point.

No, the Spurs don't want Kawhi back. No, they're not going to retire his number. No, they don't want to go snowboarding with him in the Canadian mountains. Can we all move on from any notion that San Antonio will reconcile with the man who sullied their reputation, cost them years in competitiveness, and ruined any chance Coach Pop had at competing for another championship?

It's not happening.

P.S. There's a guy named Dylan Harper wearing No. 2 now, and if anyone is going to retire that digit, it will be him.

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