Kawhi Leonard delivers Christmas joke exactly as you'd expect

If there’s one thing Canada has in abundance, outside of hockey players and overt kindness, it’s “good comedians.” At least that’s what we’ve been told.

With that secret out of the bag, it isn’t crazy to think the strong comedic roots of the country are starting to rub off on Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors. The 27-year-old California native has been known throughout his career for his no-nonsense, quiet disposition while on the court or when dealing with anything related to basketball.

For those reasons, seeing him crack a joke in the spirit of the season is simply amazing.

It’s clear that he knows who he is as a performer. He didn’t try to be something that he isn’t and it was quite effective. Todd Barry, the late Mitch Hedberg and many others have put together very successful careers with a similar, deadpan approach to their craft. The delivery is colder than Churchill, Manitoba in the middle of January and that’s what makes it so perfect.

The clip is short but it looks like, for a fraction of a second, the slightest and cheekiest of grins makes an appearance on his face.

If the hilarious nature of the land of maple syrup and Jim Carrey isn’t the cause for his breakthrough into comedy, Leonard’s knee-slappers may be inspired by the work of his head coach.

During a recent episode of Inside the Green Room with Danny Green, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse shared the process he had to go through to land his job during the offseason, which included telling a joke.

Despite a couple of tough losses against the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks this week, when you have the NBA’s best record at 21-7, there’s still plenty to laugh about.

More Inside the Green Room with Danny Green