Overview
- At media day, Kawhi Leonard said there was no wrongdoing, described outside reporting as conspiracies, and said he welcomes the league’s investigation.
- Reporters including ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne say Clippers PR cut off further Aspiration questions and limited others from following up during Leonard’s session.
- The NBA retained Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to run the probe, which team executives describe as disruptive as they express confidence the franchise will be cleared.
- The allegations focus on a 2022 Aspiration endorsement commonly reported as four years and $28 million plus stock with minimal deliverables that could constitute an off‑book benefit.
- Court filings show Aspiration owes Leonard about $7 million and co‑founder Joe Sanberg has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, facts Leonard cites to question the reliability of the company’s records.