Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs fostered a special connection on the court. Throughout their partnership, both Kawhi and the Spurs experienced a ton of success and proved San Antonio wasn’t going anywhere. For six years, the introverted superstar and the Spurs seemed inseparable until a mysterious quadriceps injury limited Kawhi’s play, ultimately stripping the true essence of what held their relationship together — hooping. With Kawhi unable to perform, the usual story of greatness that surrounded the league’s model franchise turned into a bizarre saga where a once strong connection collapsed, and in its place: beef that shifted the entire landscape of the NBA. Written, produced and edited by: Joe Ali Motion graphics designed by: Philip Pasternak

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Broncos release former Super Bowl champion WR
Former NBA big man sentenced to 40 months in prison
Peyton Manning reveals Bill Belichick's role on 'ManningCast' for this season
ESPN has big plans for Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut
NBA Hall of Famer questions Knicks longevity in face of high playoff workloads
Falcons rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. details first interaction with Kirk Cousins
Insider reveals Mike Budenholzer's humongous contract figures to be Suns HC
Watch: Novak Djokovic accidentally struck, knocked down by metal water bottle
Legendary Cowboys HC clarifies misunderstanding regarding HOFer's death with same name
Raiders HC names leader in Aidan O'Connell, Gardner Minshew competition
Oilers star will be game-time decision for Game 2
Former MLB infielder Sean Burroughs dies at 43 years old
Angels superstar explains why he chose not to play through knee injury
Cardinals catcher's injury timeline revealed
Suns hire ex-NBA champion as new head coach
Frank Vogel fell victim to a Suns ownership group eager to win
Luka Doncic hands OKC first playoff loss with gutsy Game 2 effort
Three takeaways as Rangers take commanding 3-0 series lead on Hurricanes
Rams make surprising move with former team captain
Ohio State AD is wrong for thinking Michigan wins deserve asterisk