Kawhi Leonard is facing fresh scrutiny after a report claimed he had an undisclosed multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal with Daktronics, the company behind the massive “Halo Board” video display at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome.
According to Pablo Torre Finds Out, an anonymous source alleged the agreement was used to funnel money to Leonard and potentially circumvent the NBA’s salary cap. The source claimed the arrangement was “a way to circumvent the salary cap” by routing payments through Daktronics.
Neither the NBA nor the Clippers commented on the allegations, while Daktronics stated that Leonard is not currently under contract with the company.
The latest report comes as the NBA continues investigating previous allegations that the Clippers used financial services company Aspiration to provide Leonard with a reported US$28 million through a “no-show” job. The league has yet to conclude its investigation, while Aspiration has since filed for bankruptcy and one of its co-founders was sentenced to prison on unrelated fraud charges.
The ongoing probe has also delayed Leonard’s proposed return to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have confirmed they will not complete the trade until the NBA finishes its investigation, as they would assume any potential penalties related to Leonard.
The Clippers have consistently denied any wrongdoing regarding Leonard’s contract arrangements.
Despite the off-court uncertainty, Leonard remains one of the league’s elite players. The two-time NBA Finals MVP averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists across 65 games for the Clippers last season.
