Scariolo reveals Kawhi Leonard didn't talk with him in his first months in Toronto / News - Basketnews.com

Sergio Scariolo revealed that during the first months with the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard didn't even say 'Hi' to him.

Credit: AP, Reuters-Scanpix Credit AP, Reuters-Scanpix

Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach Sergio Scariolo paid a visit to The Crossover podcast, where he shared his experience in the NBA, success with the Spanish national team, and coaching in the Italian army, among other topics.

3-pointers this season

33%10,8Points made:10,8Accuracy:32,9%Place in standings:26Record max:20Record min:6Most made 3FGs:Fred VanVleetTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

Scariolo worked in the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach for Nick Nurse from 2018 to 2021, becoming an NBA champion in 2019.

The Crossover host Joe Arlauckas asked Scariolo about the differences between the NBA and EuroLeague regarding players' treatment, and the Italian coach had some interesting stories.

He revealed the true reason why he decided to move to the NBA while also talking about the first month with the Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard.

"The reason why I moved there because I wanted to get rid of these podcasts, agents, media, managers, fans, pressure," Scariolo revealed. "I just wanted to commit myself to the game."

"I just wanted to say, 'Listen, I'm tired of this, I need to stay just diving into the game 100% without any complications, extra stuff. Just pure basketball. Go to practices, study and analyze the game without having to commit any extra time to anything which is not specific to basketball itself. It was the main reason.

I learned a lot and definitely learned from two points of view. First of all, it was a kind of humbling experience being in the league, in a players league. You can feel that it's a players league. Especially if you have a superstar in your team," Scariolo continued his experience in detail.

Virtus head coach remembered that the beginning with the Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard wasn't that easy.

"It's challenging [to be a coach in the NBA] because you have to find a way to be respected. I remember that during the first months, Kawhi didn't even say hi [to me]. Or maybe he said 'Hi' with half of his mouth," Scariolo said.

Toronto Raptors / Schedule

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Credit Reuters – Scanpix

However, with time, the relationship blossomed.

"During the playoffs, he was coming by before every game. He wanted me to sit down with him for 10 minutes and go through every aspect of the upcoming game. So, that was the evolution of our relationship. But at the beginning, it was like, 'Wow'.

Kyle Lowry? Now, I would say he is one of my best buddies there [in the NBA], but at the beginning, it was like, 'Wow'. Let's say he's a guy who, to say the least, in terms of how he wants to show his status in the team. He's a lovely guy. I love him," Scariolo continued.

Yet, Scariolo emphasized it doesn't mean that players can do whatever they feel like.

"It's not like they can do whatever they want, and it's not like I can do whatever I want. You need to find a way to feel and understand what's doable, what makes sense, what can be accepted, and what kind of word you need to find to make this kind of people understand why you are proposing to them that on a daily basis. Also, you need to find the right timing and even the feeling to take something off at the last second. You must be extremely attentive to the team's and players feeling," Scariolo explained.

Finally, the Italian coach revealed one useful lesson he took away from his NBA experience.

"Then, it is coaching without overloading. That's the main principle in the NBA. It's not like they never practice there. Of course, you have to be able to coach using different tools and different loads.

You can't kill them by running up and down for two hours between games. You need to find a way to work without body contact while at the same time working on coverages, drills, 3-on-5, 4-on-5, etc. It's extremely helpful for me in Virtus," Scariolo concluded.

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