Kawhi Leonard’s Uncle Asked Teams for Part Ownership, Private Plane, Off-Court Endorsement Money in 2019

When NBA legend Kawhi Leonard was an unrestricted free agent in 2019, his uncle and chief business partner, Dennis Robertson, asked teams for improper benefits, according to The Athletic.

Leonard left the Toronto Raptors for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019.

“Sources at the time said Robertson asked team officials 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 that they could expect if Leonard played for their team,” The Athletic reported.

“League sources with knowledge of that investigation said no evidence was found indicating that the Clippers — who ultimately landed Leonard on a three-year, $103 million contract in the summer of 2019 — had granted any of the lavish requests, but Silver said if further evidence surfaced the league would re-open its investigation.”

Leonard and the Clippers are in the news again for the wrong reasons.

One of the best players in NBA history, Leonard allegedly received a lucrative, no-work contract from a now-bankrupt environmental company with direct ties to his team, the Clippers and franchise owner Steve Ballmer so that he could be paid more money without it counting against the NBA’s salary rules.

On the latest episode of the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, seven anonymous former employees for San Francisco-based Aspiration said the four-year, $28 million endorsement deal Leonard received in 2022 was for a “no-show job” intended to “circumvent the (NBA) salary cap.”

The Clippers’ communications team sent the following statement to The Athletic: 

“Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary-cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration.  Any contrary assertion is provably false: The team ended its relationship with Aspiration years ago, during the 2022-23 season, when Aspiration defaulted on its obligations. 

“Neither the Clippers nor Mr. Ballmer was aware of any improper activity by Aspiration or its co-founder until after the government instituted its investigation. The team and Mr. Ballmer stand ready to assist law enforcement in any way they can.”

Kawhi Leonard, 34, signed a three-year, $149.5 million extension with the Clippers in January 2024.