The NBA is investigating a second Kawhi Leonard sponsorship deal as part of the Aspiration probe, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
The blockbuster trade sending Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers back to the Toronto Raptors is on hold. The trade can’t be completed until the NBA finishes the Aspiration investigation.
LAC allegedly circumvented the salary cap to compensate Leonard under the table. Members of Aspiration’s marketing staff tried to come up with pitches to use Leonard as a spokesperson, including creating a version of Leonard as an offshoot of Marvel’s Groot.
“While the LA Clippers, Leonard and now the Raptors all wait for a conclusion, the investigation has grown in scope since it began, according to multiple sources who spoke to The Athletic on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely,” Vorkunov wrote. “Not only has Wachtell Lipton, the league’s go-to law firm hired to conduct the inquiry, inspected if the Clippers circumvented the NBA salary cap by facilitating a sponsorship deal for Leonard with Aspiration, it has also looked into whether the Clippers improperly covered expenses for Leonard but were not reimbursed for them, those sources said. And the firm has examined if Leonard had a previously unreported endorsement deal with another company, those sources said.
“While a team source denied that the delay is an implication that Toronto fears or expects some penalty, it does show how the probe is already creating consequences even as it continues to examine possible cap circumvention by the Clippers.
“Former Aspiration CEO Andrei Cherny signed off on the contract with Leonard, though Joe Sanberg brought the Clippers star in, multiple sources said. The sponsorship deal, sources said, was worth significantly more than the endorsement deals Aspiration reached with the musician Drake, who invested $4 million and received carbon credits, and actor Robert Downey Jr., who received less than $2 million in equity. Sanberg also gave Leonard $20 million in equity in the company, The Athletic reported in September.
“The deal with the Clippers and a relationship with Steve Ballmer was driven by Sanberg, sources said. Ballmer had “a great relationship with Joe,” one former Aspiration executive said, beyond just sharing a dais together during a 2021 news conference that announced Aspiration as a jersey patch partner for the Clippers.”
Toronto acquired Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2018 and Leonard guided the franchise to the 2019 championship against the Golden State Warriors in six games.
In the summer of 2019, Leonard left the Raptors for the Clippers, who acquired Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Leonard and George were teammates in Los Angeles for five seasons before George left the Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer of 2024. The Clippers never made the NBA Finals during the Leonard era.
Leonard put up 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season. The forward played in 65 games, the most games he’s played in since the 2023-24 season. However, the Clippers missed the playoffs after losing to the Warriors in the 9-10 play-in game at home.
A top-75 player of all time, Leonard has played for the Spurs, Raptors and Clippers. He holds career averages of 20.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the regular season and 21.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in the playoffs.
Leonard is a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-Star. He is 35 years old.
In his first stint with the Raptors, Leonard averaged 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in the regular season and 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in the playoffs. He was named Finals MVP of the 2019 NBA Finals.
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