Another Sponsorship? The NBA once again has Kawhi Leonard in its sights

Kawhi Leonard is back in the NBA's investigative spotlight regarding his commercial agreements and his relationship with the Los Angeles Clippers.

According to information shared by journalist Pablo Torre on his podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, the player allegedly had an undisclosed sponsorship deal with Daktronics, the company responsible for designing the massive video screen at the Intuit Dome.

The supposed contract is said to be worth several million dollars, although the exact duration and financial terms are currently unknown.

Torre interviewed an anonymous source identified as a high-level individual employed by the Intuit Dome, who claimed that the deal was a way to circumvent the NBA salary cap.

"It was 1,000% a way to bypass the salary cap. Money was being channeled from the Clippers through Daktronics to Kawhi," stated the source, as reported by Torre.

The journalist also cited a former Clippers executive who affirmed knowledge of a sponsorship agreement between Leonard and Daktronics.

The Connection with Intuit Dome

Daktronics, a company based in South Dakota, was responsible for designing "The Halo Board," the massive double-sided video board installed at the Inglewood Intuit Dome, the Clippers' arena that opened in August 2024 with a cost of $2 billion.

The potential commercial relationship between Leonard and Daktronics emerges as the NBA continues its investigation into another of the player's agreements, this time with Aspiration, a sustainable banking company that later went bankrupt.

A representative from Daktronics confirmed to Hunterbrook Media, which collaborated with Torre on the investigation, that Leonard currently does not have an active contract with the company.

The same spokesperson was cautious in discussing the alleged agreement, referring to the investigation being conducted by the firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz on behalf of the NBA.

NBA's Investigation

The NBA launched its investigation into the Clippers and Leonard in September after Torre released several podcast episodes presenting internal documents related to Aspiration.

According to those documents, Steve Ballmer, the Clippers' owner, initially invested $50 million in Aspiration through a personal entity in September 2021. That same month, the Clippers struck a 23-year, $300 million deal with the company, making Aspiration the first "founding partner" of the Intuit Dome.

Six months later, in April 2022, Aspiration signed a $28 million sponsorship agreement with Leonard.

A person claiming to have worked for Aspiration told Torre that the player's contract aimed to circumvent the NBA salary cap.

The Clippers have repeatedly denied using Aspiration as a conduit to channel money to Leonard. Ballmer explained that the franchise only facilitated a meeting between Aspiration representatives and members of the player's entourage, but was not involved in the negotiations thereafter.

Ballmer Claims Total Loss of Investment

The Clippers' owner has also asserted that he was defrauded by Aspiration. Ballmer stated that he lost the $60 million he had invested in the company.

"I was blatantly defrauded," declared the franchise owner.

Aspiration's situation worsened with the conviction of one of its co-founders. Joseph Sanberg was sentenced in June to 14 years in federal prison for his involvement in a fraud scheme that authorities claim led to losses of $248 million for investors and lenders.

Now, the emergence of a second alleged sponsorship agreement related to Leonard adds a new dimension to an ongoing investigation.

At this time, it is unclear when exactly the supposed agreement between Leonard and Daktronics began, how much money the player may have received, and what conditions the agreement may have entailed. It has not been established whether the agreement violated NBA regulations.

The Clippers had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting. Meanwhile, the NBA's investigation continues to scrutinize the various commercial relationships surrounding Leonard and the franchise.