"Kawhi Leonard, Steve Ballmer, Clippers linked to endorsement deal scandal Exclusive: Kawhi Leonard signed a $28M endorsement deal for a "no-show job" with a fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50M from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to documents obtained by @PabloTorre."It was to circumvent the salary cap," an inside source says. pic.twitter.com/F6z5pNEkI1- Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) September 3, 2025"
"Now at the time of writing, no official action has been made by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, but it has been reported of NBA spokesman Mike Bass' take on the matter to which he's stated that the league is aware of the "... media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation." The Clippers organization also released a statement on the evening of September 3, openly denying the bold claims, as Shams Charania highlighted in the X post below:"
Allegations claim Kawhi Leonard signed a $28 million endorsement for a no-show role with a fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50 million from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. Documents allege the arrangement was designed to circumvent the NBA salary cap during Leonard’s 2021 re-signing with the Clippers. The NBA has commenced an investigation after a league spokesman acknowledged the media report. The Clippers released a statement denying the claims. The story also references reported aggressive retention efforts by Toronto’s front office and former majority owner Larry Tanenbaum during Leonard’s 2019 free agency.
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