Kawhi Leonard report reveals ongoing investigation into smoking gun on Clippers funding endorsement deal

The Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard received their punishment yesterday after the NBA investigated them for almost a year due to findings of salary cap circumvention. In those findings, the NBA found several endorsement deals the Clippers made in order to pay Leonard.

The league also may have found one company that signed an agreement with the team to help them pay Leonard, and they are taking the necessary steps to investigate that as well.

“But these payments may in fact have been made principally to fund the endorsement deals with Mr. Leonard,
the summary report states. “Indeed, a credible witness with direct knowledge told investigators that the consulting agreement one company signed with the Clippers was in fact a ruse, designed and intended to be a vehicle for the team to provide the company with funds to be paid to Mr. Leonard.

“According to this witness, the company was willing to enter into such a sham consulting agreement based on the promise to win a much larger services contract with the Clippers. This confidential information came to investigators late in the investigation, and additional steps are ongoing to corroborate it.”

The league has suspended Steve Ballmer from all league and team activities for a year, while Gillian Zucker will be suspended without pay for one year. Lawrence Frank is also suspended without pay for six months.

Leonard will have to pay $700,000 in restitution, and his uncle, Dennis Robertson, is banned from business with the NBA for five years.

The Clippers also lost five first-round draft picks and were fined $30 million.

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