Dallas Cowboys fans will love how Amari Cooper relates to Kawhi Leonard

Although their calm demeanor and quiet confidence have been compared, fans of the Dallas Cowboys will love how Amari Cooper relates to Kawhi Leonard.

It’s easy to draw comparisons between Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper and Toronto Raptors small forward Kawhi Leonard. Both are world-class athletes. Both were first-round selections in their respective sports. Cooper was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, while Leonard was selected 15th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. Both players are also three-time All-Stars.

Both Cooper and Leonard were traded to different teams in 2018. And both were pivotal to bringing success to their new franchises. Cooper turned around a 3-5 Cowboys team last season and helped to lead them to an NFC East title. While Leonard led the Raptors to their first NBA championship earlier this month.

Finally, both sports stars have soft-spoken personalities. And it’s that quiet confidence that many see as a biggest common denominator between Amari and Kawhi.

Here’s what Cooper told the Star-Telegram recently about hearing the comparisons between himself and the two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP.

"“ .. I can see it. I saw that after [Leonard] won a championship. He was elated. He kinda let his emotions show a little bit more. Because only then was he satisfied. It didn’t matter to him what he was accomplishing during the regular season, or during the playoffs, you can tell he was not content with that until he got the whole job done. From that standpoint, we are related.”"

It’s clear that winning is all that matters to the always reserved Cooper, and that should excite Cowboy fans everywhere. The fifth-year receiver isn’t satisfied with personal accomplishments. Reading between the lines of the above statement, it appears to be Super Bowl or bust for Amari in Dallas. And championships are certainly the biggest difference between Coop and Kawhi.

Leonard has won two NBA championships, his first was as a member of the San Antonio Spurs during the 2013-2014 season. Cooper spent his first three and a half seasons as a member of the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders went to the playoffs only once during Cooper’s tenure, losing in the Wild Card round in 2016 after finishing that season 12-4.

But the one advantage Amari Cooper has over Kawhi Leonard is age. Despite having already played four seasons in the NFL, Cooper just turned 25-years old on June 17th. Leonard birthday is … today, June 29th. (Birth month is yet another thing the two have in common). The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year just turned 28-years old.