Kawhi Leonard has quietly risen to stardom with the San Antonio Spurs, hardly uttering a word as he captured an NBA Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year award and a maximum contract extension this summer.
His dynamic play on both ends of the court stands in stark contrast to his whisper-quiet demeanour off of it, thereby challenging the theory a player in the NBA has to be outspoken, brash and vocally assertive to be a true star.
In having the success he has in such short order with all the flair and charm that often accompany a star’s rise, he has provided the blueprint for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins, another rising talent with little interest for self-promotion or on-court theatrics. Wiggins won Rookie of the Year last season and is averaging more than 21 points per game in his second year while also showing signs of becoming a top-tier perimeter defender.
And even though he has been followed by cameras since he was a 14-year-old prodigy growing up in Toronto, Wiggins doesn’t seek out the spotlight. Actually, he much prefers it to be pointed elsewhere.
The similarities in game and personality are so striking that Wolves veteran Kevin Garnett predicted the two would be going toe-to-toe for the next decade.
“Makes the matchup a little more personal,” Garnett said. “Although these two guys are quiet, their games are monstrous. Their games speak volumes. So don’t let the quietness fool you.
“Drew is coming into himself. Kawhi is coming into himself. Should be a really, really good matchup for the future.”
Leonard dominated the matchup last week, holding Wiggins to 2-for-11 shooting in a Spurs win in Minnesota. The two face each other in San Antonio on Monday.
The Wolves are taking the same approach with Wiggins as the Spurs did with Leonard. They’re not trying to force him to be something he is not.
“Everybody does it differently,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “You can’t change people. So with Kawhi, because he’s Kawhi, we just talk about communication on defence. Everybody, all coaches, moan and groan about that. Other than that, he can be as quiet as he wants.”
Elsewhere in the NBA
Reeling Suns
The Phoenix Suns were the feel-good story in the league two years ago, surprising everyone in coach Jeff Hornacek’s first year on the job with 48 victories. But chemistry issues have clouded the skies in Phoenix for the last two years, and they entered this season with disgruntled forward Markieff Morris expressing a desire to be traded.
Things came to a head last week when Morris was suspended for two games for throwing a towel at Hornacek and the Suns became just the second team this season to lose to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers. They have lost six of their last seven games to fall to 12-20, guard Eric Bledsoe is out with a knee injury and the heat is on Hornacek to get things right.
“We’re just flat-out losing games and something’s got to change real quick,” forward PJ Tucker said.
Things to watch
– Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets, Thursday: A rematch of the Western Conference finals. Interim coach JB Bickerstaff has the Rockets playing better, and he blasted them after a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
– Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers, Friday: Philadelphia's first victory this season came at home against Kobe and the Lakers. After they beat Phoenix, could the Sixers win twice in a week?
– Chicago Bulls rebound: After Jimmy Butler called out coach Fred Hoiberg, the Bulls beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Christmas and went down swinging at the Dallas Mavericks. At 16-12, the sky is hardly falling, and they get three home games this week against the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.
– Joerger's job: With the Memphis Grizzlies struggling to keep pace in the West, Dave Joerger could be the next coach to fall victim to an owner looking to shake things up.
– Milwaukee Bucks at Oklahoma City Thunder, Tuesday: Milwaukee are the only team to beat Golden State. Oklahoma City are starting to play like legit challengers in the West, giving the young Bucks another chance to get some attention.
Stat line of the week: Kobe Bryant, Lakers: 31 points, five assists in a win over the Denver Nuggets. Bryant got off to a brutal start to the season offensively, leading to severe criticism of his approach on a young and rebuilding team. But this was vintage Kobe, right down to the dagger at the end.
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match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Bio
Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees (oats with chicken) is one of them
Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.
Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results
During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks
Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy
Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
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15 years, 271 days old
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16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
Signs%20of%20%20%20%20%20%20%20heat%20stroke
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20loss%20of%20sodium%20chloride%20in%20our%20sweat%20can%20lead%20to%20confusion%20and%20an%20altered%20mental%20status%20and%20slurred%20speech%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EBody%20temperature%20above%2039%C2%B0C%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHot%2C%20dry%20and%20red%20or%20damp%20skin%20can%20indicate%20heatstroke%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EA%20faster%20pulse%20than%20usual%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDizziness%2C%20nausea%20and%20headaches%20are%20also%20signs%20of%20overheating%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIn%20extreme%20cases%2C%20victims%20can%20lose%20consciousness%20and%20require%20immediate%20medical%20attention%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
Sour%20Grapes
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The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
