The Los Angeles Clippers’ media day has already spiraled into one of the league’s most controversial storylines and it’s not just because of Kawhi Leonard’s answers. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne revealed on ESPN LA that Clippers PR staff physically took the microphone from her after she pressed Leonard on the $28 million Aspiration endorsement scandal.
“I asked questions, then I could have kept going, but somebody kind of reached out and grabbed the mic from me. It was like, okay, you’re done now. And then it went to a team reporter, a team TV reporter, who asked about being healthy during the offseason. Then the next one was the team radio person, and they asked another question that was more basketball-related.”
“Then it got back to, I think, Law Murray from The Athletic, who asked an Aspiration question, but it was something about how do you not make it a distraction or something, and he gave a whatever kind of answer to that. And then he was done.”
“I will say this, it’s important to note, because people are like, why were you the only one asking those questions? There were five or six other reporters in the room. Chris Mannix from Sports Illustrated, Beth Harris from the AP.”
“We had all talked before the press conference, and I said, okay, so we’re all going to ask Aspiration questions, right? Because this is his first public statement. Whoever gets this, let’s tag team, you know? Listen to whatever everybody else asks, and let’s make sure we cover all the bases here, because this is probably the one and only time he’ll address it.”
“And they all had their hands raised, and they weren’t being called on.”
Shelburne explained that she and several other reporters, including Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated and Beth Harris of the Associated Press, had planned in advance to ask follow-up questions about Aspiration, expecting Kawhi Leonard’s first public remarks to be limited.
Instead, after Kawhi Leonard gave a vague answer about not paying attention to “conspiracy theories” and insisting the NBA investigation didn’t distract him, he was quickly escorted away before more reporters could push further.
At the center of the controversy is Leonard’s endorsement agreement with Aspiration, a now-bankrupt environmental finance company. The four-year, $28 million deal began in 2022, not long after Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had invested $50 million into the company. Reports also suggest Leonard received $20 million in company stock.
When Aspiration filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, Leonard was listed as a creditor through KL2 Aspire LLC, claiming he had not been fully paid. Questions have swirled around whether the arrangement was a “no-show” endorsement deal designed to circumvent NBA salary cap rules by funneling extra money to Leonard.
Leonard, for his part, denied any wrongdoing. He maintained he understood his contract, said he did provide services, and blamed Aspiration’s collapse on fraud within the company. But his statements that he could not recall exactly how much he was paid or what services he performed raised eyebrows.
Former MLB executive David Sampson was blunt in his assessment: “Kawhi is lying to you there. And it is not even a question. I’ve been around players for decades. The players keep track of every dollar.”
Sampson argued that no athlete forgets the details of a deal worth more than their shoe contract, calling Leonard’s vague answers “just not credible.”
The NBA is still investigating, but the optics are damaging for a franchise that has fought for years to establish legitimacy in Los Angeles. Losing control of a press conference and silencing follow-up questions only fuels suspicion.
Until the league’s probe concludes, Leonard and the Clippers are left in a storm of unanswered questions and the perception that they don’t want anyone asking them.
