Leadership, confidence, and championship mettle define his evolution through the years.
At his introductory press conference back in July, Leandro Barbosa sat in front of the assembled media flanked by general manager Ryan McDonough and head coach Earl Watson. Nowhere to be found was the interpreter who followed Barbosa around when he first joined the team as a rookie back in 2003.
Barbosa’s English has improved over the years to the point where he no longer feels the need for an interpreter (even though he still jokes about his mastery of the language), but that’s not all that has changed about the Brazilian.