Plot thickens in Kawhi Leonard scandal as ex-Aspiration CEO provides new details on $28M allegations

The situation surrounding Kawhi Leonard and his $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration continues to evolve as the company’s former CEO has weighed in on the matter. Andrei Cherny was the company’s CEO from 2013 to 2022. He stepped down in October 2022, meaning he was still with the company when Leonard signed his endorsement deal.

On Friday, he released a statement on X, denying all claims of potential salary cap circumvention. Cherny also claimed that Leonard’s contract was not a “no-show” agreement as it contained obligations for the Clippers star to fulfill.

“The contract contained three pages of extensive obligations that Leonard had to perform,” Andrei Cherny wrote on X. “And the contract clearly said that if Leonard did not meet those obligations, Aspiration could terminate the contract.”

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Cherny said that during his negotiations and discussions about Leonard’s sponsorship deal, he had not heard anything about the NBA salary cap:

“In the months of discussion among our executives before signing the sponsorship, I don't remember conversations about the NBA salary cap,” he said. “Before I left there were numerous internal conversations about the various things Aspiration was planning to with Leonard. ... I can't speak to what was done or not done after I left or why."

NBA reporter slams Kawhi Leonard and his uncle for “shady” practices

ESPN reporter Tim McMahon also weighed in on the controversy surrounding Kawhi Leonard and the practices of his business advisor, Dennis Robinson, better known as Uncle Dennis.

Speaking on Friday's ESPN broadcast with Brian Windhorst, McMahon criticized Leonard and his uncle, pointing toward their treatment of the San Antonio Spurs. McMahon also cited Leonard’s attitude toward load management rules:

“The salary cap rules? They don’t apply to him. Injury report rules? Sure as hell don’t apply to him. Any kind of load management rules? Those don’t apply to him. Tampering? Naw. Kawhi does whatever Kawhi and Uncle Dennis feel like he wants to do.”

McMahon continued and placed blame on the Clippers organization for the Aspiration scandal. He cited the many controversies surrounding Kawhi Leonard’s behavior over the years and said it's the organization's fault for getting into business with people who are “consistently shady.”

As the situation develops, fans are beginning to wonder whether signing Leonard has been beneficial for the Clippers, considering the team hasn't progressed past the conference semifinals during his time there.

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Sameer Khan

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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