Kawhi Leonard is facing fresh scrutiny after a report alleged that the Los Angeles Clippers star had an undisclosed sponsorship agreement with Daktronics, the company behind the massive video board at the team's Intuit Dome.
Journalist Pablo Torre reported that the deal was potentially worth millions of dollars, with anonymous sources alleging it may have been used to circumvent NBA salary-cap rules.
The reported agreement adds another layer to the NBA's ongoing investigation into Leonard and the Clippers.
The league's inquiry, led by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, initially focused on Leonard's $28 million sponsorship arrangement with the now-bankrupt green-finance company Aspiration, which also had a major sponsorship agreement with the Clippers.
According to Torre's latest report, sources connected to the Intuit Dome and the Clippers alleged that money could have been routed through Daktronics to Leonard.
However, the claims have not been established as fact, and a Daktronics representative told Hunterbrook Media that Leonard does not currently have an active contract with the company. The Clippers had not publicly responded to the latest allegations at the time of reporting.
The original investigation began after reports surrounding Leonard's Aspiration deal raised questions about whether outside sponsorship payments were being used to circumvent the NBA's salary cap.
The Clippers have repeatedly denied wrongdoing, while owner Steve Ballmer has maintained that his investment in Aspiration resulted in significant losses and that he was himself defrauded.
Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted in connection with a $248 million fraud scheme.
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