Overview
- Citing a Thursday report, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn has opened a criminal inquiry into the Clippers’ role in arranging secret sponsorships for Kawhi Leonard and has issued at least one subpoena.
- The NBA’s independent review found the Clippers steered off-court income for Leonard with four companies — Aspiration, Daktronics, Boingo and Lockton — and the league fined the team $30 million and took five first-round picks.
- The Securities and Exchange Commission has requested records from Daktronics and the company says it is cooperating with regulators while the federal probe continues.
- The trade that would send Leonard back to Toronto remains paused while teams and lawyers assess legal and operational risk, and the Clippers plan to contest the NBA’s findings in court or arbitration.
- Prosecutors have not said whether charges will follow and the inquiry is in its early stages; the Brooklyn office has a record of sports-integrity cases, making outcomes uncertain but potentially wide-ranging for the franchise and individuals.