The NBA has reopened its examination of Kawhi Leonard’s four-year, $28 million endorsement contract with the now-bankrupt financial firm Aspiration, and league sources say the response from other team owners could determine how expansive the investigation becomes.
Veteran reporter Marc Stein told the “ALL NBA Podcast” that Commissioner Adam Silver ultimately answers to the league’s 29 other governors, making their views central to the review’s direction. The NBA first looked into Leonard’s sponsorship arrangement in 2019 and reported no rule violations at the time, but left the door open to future inquiries should new information surface.
The fresh scrutiny follows comments by former Aspiration employees on the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast, where the agreement was characterized as a “no-show” job designed to keep Leonard in Los Angeles. Aspiration has since filed for bankruptcy protection.
To handle the matter, the league has retained the New York law firm Wachtell Lipton, the same group that led prior investigations involving former owners Donald Sterling and Robert Sarver.
Attention on the case is amplified by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, the NBA’s wealthiest governor and the driving force behind the $2 billion Intuit Dome scheduled to open next season. Ballmer’s willingness to incur luxury-tax penalties helped spur stricter spending limits—known as “aprons”—in the league’s most recent collective bargaining agreement.
The convergence of Ballmer’s deep pockets, the new arena and questions surrounding Leonard’s sponsorship places the franchise back under league scrutiny six years after officials first reviewed its pursuit of the two-time Finals MVP.
Source: Hoops Wire
