Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Details on Kawhi Leonard's Uncle's Absurd Request With Raptors Resurfaces

Originally posted on Los Angeles Clippers on SI
By Liam Willerup | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 8:16 PM ET

Kawhi Leonard has reached the top of basketball, being a Finals MVP for two separate franchises, winning Defensive Player of the Year twice, and having several All-NBA and All-Star appearances to his name. Therefore, when he decided to enter free agency in 2019 after winning the Finals with the Toronto Raptors, he was expected to command top dollar.

In the end, he decided on the Los Angeles Clippers, especially after the team decided to acquire All-NBA forward Paul George to pair alongside him. While the Clippers aren't the biggest market, it wasn't a surprise to see Leonard join the Clippers, especially with his roots in Southern California. But, as fans have learned this past week, there could've been another reason for him joining the Clippers.

As has been reported by The Athletic's Pablo Torre, the Clippers star received $48 million in compensation in a "no-show deal" with then Clippers sponsor, Aspiration. While Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has come forth and denied these allegations in a recent interview with ESPN, it appears as though the NBA is now looking into the situation to see if there was any wrongdoing.

As this is going on, details have resurfaced about prior negotiations that Leonard's uncle partook in, making an absurd request to the Toronto Raptors to supplement the contract on the table.

The Resurfaced Details

In 2019 Kawhi Leonard uncle asked for an ownership stake in the Toronto Maple Leafs instead of the Raptors, per @bruce_arthur

“It was politely explained to him that both teams were owned by the same company, and that the request was impossible.”

(https://t.co/SSZSdHbpze) pic.twitter.com/XFkUC4HWJM
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 5, 2025

Leonard's uncle, also known as Uncle Dennis, made requests to both the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers during 2019 free agency. With the Raptors, "[he] asked for an ownership stake in the Toronto Maple Leafs, because that way he wasn’t asking for a piece of the Raptors," the Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur wrote.

Given that the Raptors and Maple Leafs are under the same ownership group, Dennis' request was declined.

As for the Lakers, Uncle Dennis asked for “part ownership of the team, a private plane that would be available at all times, a house and … a guaranteed amount of off-court endorsement money." Not only did the Lakers say no, but that was not allowed under the CBA.

Therefore, with this recent information resurfacing, it's not a good look for Leonard and the Clippers heading into the investigation. While Ballmer is welcoming the investigation and doesn't think the team did anything wrong, perhaps the Aspiration deal was a request from Uncle Dennis and Leonard's camp.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Clippers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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