Alright, I do know a few of you guys are uninterested in listening to about Kawhi Leonard on this website, but when any of the viral rumors exploding on the web at present are true, it’s onerous to not really feel only a twinge of justification when you’re a Spurs fan. Right here’s the lowdown. It began when sports activities podcaster Pablo Torre reported on his podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out that Leonard “signed a $28M endorsement deal for a ‘no-show job’ with a fraudulent tree-planting firm funded by $50M from Clippers proprietor Steve Ballmer,” and he has the paperwork to again it up.
This reportedly occurred in relationship to his multi-year contract signed in 2021 and, in line with insiders, was a method to avoid wage cap restrictions. In fact, Balmer and Clippers are denying the allegations, however it could result in an investigation from the NBA, and if the claims are true, then extreme punishment corresponding to fines, suspensions and lack of draft picks may very well be so as.
What is that this fraudulent firm?
In line with Torre, the corporate was known as Aspiration, Inc, which went bankrupt in 2025 after its co-founder, Joe Sanberg, was arrested on fraud costs. Among the many listing of collectors in Aspiration’s chapter filings is an LLC below the identify “KL2 Aspire LLC”, which in line with the paperwork, is managed by Kawhi Leonard. Leonard reportedly signed the endorsement take care of Aspiration in April 2022, however there is no such thing as a proof that he ever did something to sponsor them and justify the contract, which is reportedly pay $7 million per yr throughout 4 years.
Who’s Pablo Torre, and is he reliable?
Torre is a reputable information reporter who’s profession has centered on sports activities investigations, corresponding to playing and fraud. After graduating from Harvard, he started his profession with Sports activities Illustrated, the place he wrote an award profitable article in 2009 known as Why Athletes Go Broke, which spurred an investigation into an organization known as Triton Monetary for defrauding buyers. Torre later joined ESPN in 2012, the place he was a senior author and appeared on a number of exhibits, each as a visitor and generally a substitute host. Lastly, he joined Meadowlark Media in 2023, which is when he began Pablo Torre Finds Out.
What does this should do with the Spurs?
Actually, nothing (so far as we all know) contemplating it didn’t occur whereas Leonard was nonetheless with the Spurs, there is no such thing as a proof of tampering throughout that point. Nonetheless, by the point the 2017-18 season rolled round and all of his and his uncle Dennis Robertson’s shenanigans started (corresponding to sitting out a lot of the season, staying away from the crew, hiding in a closet from Spurs’ docs, and claiming they misdiagnosed him), it was recognized he was vying for a commerce to one of many Los Angeles groups, ideally the Clippers, however the Spurs weren’t going to meet his needs. (It’s too unhealthy it labored out in Toronto for that one season, however we digress.)
Whereas that was lengthy sufficient in the past that the majority say it’s time to maneuver on, the actual fact is to at the present time, it nonetheless looks like the bulk take Leonard’s aspect on that debacle whereas blaming the Spurs for mishandling the state of affairs and misdiagnosing Leonard regardless of there being greater than sufficient proof on the market proving that 1. they have been proper about his knee, and a pair of. it was all a ruse to get to his most well-liked vacation spot with out burning his fame for demanding a commerce or leaving the “excellent” franchise that had turned him into the star participant he turned and was constructed to contend.
Whereas the Spurs have lastly — hopefully — accomplished the rebuild that was triggered by the Leonard debacle and have their new star in Victor Wembanyama, there’s no denying that followers nonetheless really feel the sting of that betrayal, and the extra speaking heads carry it up and maintain blaming the Spurs for it, the tougher it’s to formally put it within the overview mirror. In fact, we also needs to all keep in mind that everyone seems to be harmless till confirmed responsible, and if Leonard and the Clippers are harmless in all this, then it’ll come to mild.
Nonetheless, if they’re responsible, whereas it gained’t make up for the seven years in purgatory Leonard put the Spurs by, it’ll really feel like some type of justification for a franchise and fanbase that obtained slandered by their star and his uncle for no purpose aside from greed. Maybe sometime, everybody will lastly see what we’ve got recognized for a very long time: the Spurs have been proper, not Kawhi and Uncle Dennis.
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