Is Kawhi Leonard married? Inside Clippers star's relationship with Kishele Shipley

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is one of the NBA's most dominant forces. As a two-time NBA champion and six-time All-Star, his game speaks volumes, but his personal life remains a mystery — with fans left guessing about everything from his relationship status to what makes him tick off the court. 

A closer looks reveals Leonard's motivation has always been rooted in family. While he's not married — yet, Leonard has been in a long-term, committed relationship with Kishele Shipley since 2014 after meeting as students at San Diego University.

According to The Knot, Shipley, 36, graduated with a bachelor's degree in public administration and worked as a human resources professional in the San Diego area. 

Together they share two children, daughter Kaliyah, born in 2016, and a son, whose name they've kept private, born in 2019. 

Speaking of privacy — this couple is extremely private when it comes to their public lives, and neither maintains any public social media accounts.

While public appearances together are rare, they do happen. In 2019, they walked the red carpet at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards with both children and Shipley's parents in tow. And in 2022, engagement rumors sparked when TMZ Sports published photos of the couple arriving at LAX — with Shipley sporting a sizable diamond ring on her left hand.

According to the outlet, photographers later spotted the couple again, however the ring had mysteriously vanished and the engagement was never confirmed.

But keeping a low public profile can have some disadvantages. 

In 2020, on TNT's Inside the NFL, Leonard appeared confused when commentator Charles Barkley seemingly questioned his apparent aversion to smiling, by referring to him as a "cyborg," to which Leonard replied, "I just try to stay locked into the game. It feels like when people are most serious, they play their best basketball. Nobody’s smiling in the 4th quarter.”

When he left the Toronto Raptors for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, Leonard told Yahoo Sports the decision all came down to one thing — remaining close to his family.

"I just wanted to play at home," Leonard said, explaining that with just three months off, "there’s really no time to see your family."

"I love my family," Leonard told the outlet. "For me, it was a family situation more so than a basketball decision."

Shipley, her extended family, and the couple's children are all based in California, as well as several of Leonard's nieces and nephews — along with his mother, Kim Robertson, who confirmed her son has always been the private type, telling The San Diego Union Tribune, "Kawhi doesn't really care about the hype ...that's not what he's about. He just wants to play basketball, that's it."