NBA Team Apparently Paid Leonard $28 Million for Unworked Role, Review by League Underway
A new report has raised eyebrows in the sports world, alleging that NBA star Kawhi Leonard may have been offered a $28 million endorsement deal from the Los Angeles Clippers and team owner Steve Ballmer. The deal, if true, is suspected to have been a means to circumvent the NBA salary cap.
The lengthy paper trail linking the situation together has left many surprised, as it is presumed that professional athletes often receive payments 'under the table' in various business and endorsement endeavors. However, no instances of Leonard endorsing Aspiration, the company at the heart of the allegations, were found in the investigation.
Instead, payments were sent to Leonard's advisor, Dennis Robertson, who was previously investigated by the NBA for asking for impermissible benefits. The alleged $28 million endorsement deal between Leonard and Aspiration has so far evaded all press.
Aspiration, a tree-planting service, had previously entered a $28 million legal agreement with KL2, a company allegedly owned by Leonard. KL2, named after Leonard's initials and his No. 2 jersey number, is said to have a clause in the contract that allows Leonard to decline any action desired by the company and still be paid.
The circumstances, if true, suggest that Ballmer and Leonard may have circumvented the NBA salary cap by paying Leonard more than his contract through an endorsement deal. An interview with a former employee of Aspiration revealed that the single largest payment to an individual for marketing that Aspiration ever made was made to Leonard, implying that the payment was not publicly disclosed.
It's important to note that no evidence has been presented to confirm these allegations. The NBA has opened an investigation into the matter, and Leonard's contract with the Clippers was a three-year deal worth $103 million. In 2019, an investigation into Robertson found no evidence that the Clippers provided illegal benefits while pursuing Leonard during free agency.
As the investigation continues, the sports world awaits the outcome, with many questioning the ethical implications of such alleged actions.
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