{"id":159224,"date":"2025-09-16T16:14:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T20:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=159224"},"modified":"2025-09-16T16:15:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T20:15:32","slug":"clippers-face-double-jeopardy-penalty-in-kawhi-leonard-scandal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/16\/clippers-face-double-jeopardy-penalty-in-kawhi-leonard-scandal\/","title":{"rendered":"Clippers Face Double Jeopardy Penalty In Kawhi Leonard Scandal"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK\u2014 Pablo Torre set off a firestorm this summer. His reporting detailed suspicious financial ties between Kawhi Leonard<\/a>, a bankrupt tree brokerage, and Clippers<\/a> ownership. The fallout has become one of the NBA\u2019s biggest scandals in years. The Clippers and Kawhi Leonard are set to face severe penalties from the league if found guilty according to senior NBA insider, John Hollinger of the Athletic.<\/p>\n

Clippers Face Double Jeopardy Penalty In Kawhi Leonard Scandal<\/h2>\n

A Deepening Investigation<\/h3>\n
\"Kawhi
Sep 30, 2024; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) talks with team owner Steve Ballmer during media day at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The NBA has hired Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate allegations of cap circumvention. Commissioner Adam Silver called the law firm \u201cthe big guns.\u201d He made clear that the league is treating the case with unusual seriousness.<\/p>\n

At issue is whether Leonard\u2019s relationship with Aspiration, the bankrupt firm, amounted to a \u201cno-show\u201d endorsement deal meant to dodge salary cap rules. The investigation\u2019s results may not come for months.<\/p>\n

As The Athletic\u2019s<\/em> John Hollinger writes<\/a>: \u201cThere is not, at least as of yet, a smoking gun that ties Clippers owner Steve Ballmer\u2019s and minority owner Dennis Wong\u2019s investments in Aspiration to the payments the company made to Leonard, even if the timing and amounts of the investments are clearly suspicious.\u201d<\/p>\n

What The Clippers Could Face<\/h3>\n

The penalties are outlined in Article XIII of the CBA. They are sweeping. They could include:<\/p>\n