Kawhi Leonard told the San Antonio Spurs before his rookie season that he wanted to be a great player. Since then, he has been relentless in progressing toward that lofty status.

As a rookie in 2011-12, Leonard started in the Western Conference finals. Two years later, he was named NBA Finals MVP at age 22. Leonard earned his first All-Star selection last season, the same year he won his second Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in a row. And this season, his ascension is complete: The 25-year-old forward is a leading candidate for the league’s MVP award.

Leonard faces stiff competition for the honor, which will be revealed at the league’s first-ever NBA Awards Show in New York (June 26, TNT). In one of the most buzzed-about MVP races of all time, the Spurs’ two-time All-Star is joined by Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, Houston Rockets guard James Harden and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook as the widely regarded front-runners.

As voters prepare to fill out their ballots for the NBA’s premier individual award, Leonard will take the national stage on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET when the Spurs host Chris Paul and the LA Clippers during ABC’s last regular-season matchup of the year.

The primetime showcase gives Leonard another opportunity to display the all-around game that has helped San Antonio extend its NBA record of consecutive 50-win seasons to 18.

He is scoring a career-high 25.9 points a game, putting him on track to become the first Spur to average at least 25 points in a season since Tim Duncan in 2001-02. Leonard has more than tripled his scoring average from his rookie season, thanks in part to intensive work on his jump shot. A 25 percent shooter from the shorter college three-point line during his two years at San Diego State, Leonard has developed into an above-average 38.5 percent three-point shooter in the NBA.

Leonard’s offensive development provides the perfect complement to his stifling defense. Behind Leonard, San Antonio leads the NBA in defensive rating this season despite the offseason retirement of Duncan, who anchored the franchise’s D for nearly two decades.

Extraordinary play on both ends of the court for an elite team makes for a strong MVP case. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would know: He watched Duncan use the same formula to win the award twice.

“Glad I don’t have to vote,” Popovich told reporters recently about this season’s MVP race. “Of course, you know who I’d vote for. Coaches are prejudiced.”

Here’s what others are saying about Leonard’s MVP candidacy: