Here’s a suggestion on the Kawhi Leonard-Clippers drama - forget it happened
The NBA is investigating allegations that the L.A. Clippers circumvented salary cap rules through various sponsorship deals involving Kawhi Leonard. The author suggests the league should resolve the matter quickly to move past the controversy.
Why it matters
This highlights the intersection of professional sports, massive corporate wealth, and the challenges of enforcing league-wide financial regulations.
Kawhi Leonard's return to the Toronto Raptors has been slowed by the NBA's ongoing investigation into reports that he and the L.A. Clippers circumvented the NBA's salary cap. Chris Young/The Canadian Press
If the reporting is to be believed, the question is no longer if would-be Toronto Raptor Kawhi Leonard was getting backhanders to play in L.A. It’s who wasn’t paying him.
So far, we’ve got a sponsorship deal with since-bankrupt e-services company (whatever that is), Aspiration. It turns out that Aspiration was in part funded by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
Then there’s the company that made the scoreboard for the Clippers’ arena. According to a report by podcaster Pablo Torre, the company paid Leonard “millions” to be its spokesperson. To speak about what exactly? Pixels-per-square-centimetre? Were they hoping Clippers’ fans would start buying scoreboards for their two-bedroom-plus-a-dens in Inglewood?
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in