Kawhi Leonard inked $28 million endorsement deal to skirt NBA salary cap: Pablo Torre bombshell claim
NY Post
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and star Kawhi Leonard are alleged to have circumvented the salary cap in a $28 million no-show marketing agreement bombshell.
A former employee in the financial department of the Ballmer-backed Aspiration — which has since gone bankrupt — told Pablo Torre for his “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast that employees were told not to ask questions about Leonard’s deal with the company since the point was to “circumvent the salary cap.”
Ballmer and the Clippers denied the allegations in a statement to Torre and his show.
“Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration,” the team said in a statement. “Any contrary assertions is provably false.”
NBA spokesman Mike Bass told The Post on Wednesday that the league is “aware of this morning’s media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation.”
The Clippers pulled off a stunning signing in July 2019 when they landed Leonard on a four-year, $141 million contract after he led the Raptors to an NBA title.
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