Kawhi Leonard’s Uncle Asked Los Angeles Lakers for Specific Amount of Off-Court Endorsement Money That Could Be Promised in Advance

Kawhi Leonard‘s uncle, Dennis Robertson, asked the Los Angeles Lakers for a specific amount of off-court endorsement money that could be promised in advance, according to NBA insider Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Leonard met with the Lakers in 2019, but he ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.

“As an aside, a Lakers team source said Robertson did not request no-show endorsement deals in his free agency discussions with their team (he did, among other audacious things, ask for a specific amount of off-court endorsement money that could be promised in advance),” Amick wrote.

Leonard and the Clippers are currently in hot water. According to Pablo Torre of Pablo Torre Finds Out, the now-bankrupt company Aspiration paid Leonard $48 million for a “no-show job” intended to circumvent the NBA salary cap.

LAC owner Steve Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration.

Ballmer introduced Aspiration to Leonard 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.

Aspiration paid Leonard $1.7 million days after Clippers minority owner Dennis J. Wong made an almost $2 million investment in the company. This took place in December 2022.

Leonard also got $20 million in Aspiration shares directly from co-founder Joe Sanberg.

A six-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer, Leonard has played for the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto 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.