While the NBA still has not issued a verdict on its investigation into potentially illicit benefits given to Kawhi Leonard by a Los Angeles Clippers team sponsor, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported this week that Leonard may have already received a punishment for the situation.
Leonard was not part of the Western Conference reserves announced this weekend for next weekend’s NBA All-Star game, despite playing the majority of the season healthy and posting the best scoring season of his career so far. The resurgent Clippers, meanwhile, are knocking on the door of the top six in the West after an ugly start to the season.
But as Leonard missed out on what could have been his seventh All-Star berth, Windhorst appeared on NBA Today with an explanation that ties back to the alleged Aspiration scandal:
“The reaction in the league has been kind of universal between the executives that I’ve talked to, which is, Kawhi Leonard doesn’t make the team. So OK that happens, players get snubbed. Kawhi’s numbers are phenomenal, the game is obviously at Intuit Dome. And the wonder is, did he not make this team because the coaches didn’t vote for him because of the accusations of the improper contract?”
Pablo Torre broke the news last year tying a bankrupt climate change action firm to supposedly illicit benefits given to Leonard dating back to the beginning of his Clippers tenure. The firm, Aspiration, is a prominent team sponsor in which team owners Steve Ballmer and Dennis Wong made lucrative investments.
Since that time, other local and national NBA reporters have added to the story, suggesting Leonard made similar demands of other teams during his 2019 free agency — and that the endorsement deal that Aspiration gave Leonard was worth as much as $50 million.
If the Clippers were found to have knowingly funneled money through Aspiration to compensate Leonard outside of his NBA contract, it would be one of the most significant instances of salary-cap circumvention in sports history. The team and Leonard have denied the accusations.
The NBA announced an investigation into Leonard and the Clippers shortly after Torre’s initial report. But despite teasing from plugged-in Angelino Bill Simmons, the league has not issued any ruling on the scandal so far.
Players like Devin Booker and LeBron James seemingly leapfrogged Leonard to make the All-Star roster, which is voted upon by coaches. And while we may never know whether those coaches penalized Leonard for his alleged involvement with Aspiration, Windhorst is indicating that many around the industry believe they did.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.