Kawhi Leonard’s Uncle Asked Toronto Raptors for No-Show Sponsorships in 2019
NBA star Kawhi Leonard‘s uncle, Dennis Robertson, asked the Toronto Raptors for no-show sponsorships in 2019, according to Bruce Arthur of the Star.
Robertson also asked for an ownership stake in the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Leonard left the Raptors in the summer of 2019 as an unrestricted free agent after guiding the franchise to the championship and signed a three-year, $103 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, who also acquired Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On an episode of the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, seven anonymous former employees for “Aspiration” said Leonard got $48 million for a “no-show job” intended to “circumvent the (NBA) salary cap.”
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who invested $50 million in the now bankrupt green banking company, told ESPN that “Aspiration” asked him to introduce the company to Leonard, but he denied he knew about the endorsement contract the sides eventually signed or that he directed the company to do so.
Ballmer said the introduction came in November 2021, three months after the Clippers had agreed to a four-year, $173 million extension with Leonard. Two months earlier, in September 2021, the Clippers announced a lucrative $300 million partnership with “Aspiration.”
A six-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer, Kawhi Leonard has played for the San Antonio Spurs, Raptors and Clippers. He has career averages of 20.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.6 blocks.
In 2000, it was discovered that the Minnesota Timberwolves engaged in an illegal secret agreement with Joe Smith by allegedly promising to pay him a future multimillion-dollar deal if he signed with the team on a shorter contract for less money.
The NBA penalized the Timberwolves by removing five first-round draft picks, fining the team $3.5 million and banning head coach Kevin McHale and owner Glen Taylor for a season, along with voiding the contracts for Smith.
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