NBA blasts ESPN for ‘inaccuracies’ in report on Kawhi Leonard-Clippers investigation
Summary
The NBA disagrees with an ESPN report about its investigation into whether the Los Angeles Clippers broke salary cap rules with player Kawhi Leonard. The league said ESPN’s story had many mistakes and said the investigation’s results will be shared once it is finished.Key Facts
- ESPN reported the NBA spent 11 months investigating if Clippers owner Steve Ballmer gave money to Kawhi Leonard through team sponsors to get around salary limits.
- The NBA’s spokesperson said the ESPN article had many significant inaccuracies and the league did not help ESPN with the report.
- The league has not said which parts of ESPN’s report it disputes or what penalties might come from the investigation.
- The investigation started after a 2023 report claimed the Clippers gave Leonard $28 million via a fake endorsement deal with Aspiration, a company linked to Ballmer that later went bankrupt.
- Aspiration’s co-founder went to prison for fraud involving $248 million.
- Teams often introduce players to sponsors, but the Clippers said they did not control Leonard’s deals and that this is a normal practice.
- The Toronto Raptors plan to sign Leonard but are waiting for the NBA to finish the investigation because they will bear any risks.
- NBA commissioner Adam Silver hopes to finish the investigation by the end of summer; NBA training camps start September 29.
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