Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is at the center of an NBA investigation.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is at the center of an NBA investigation.Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
NBA commissioner Adam Silver couldn’t downplay the perception that the Clippers circumvented the salary cap and lured Kawhi Leonard to re-sign with an apparent bogus endorsement deal that funneled millions to the superstar the past four years.
The league is investigating the Clippers’ investment and association with the defunct sustainability and carbon credit company Aspiration and whether owner Steve Ballmer arranged an endorsement deal for an estimated $50 million for Leonard for basically no endorsements.
Silver spoke with the media this week and the Clippers and their potential maneuvering of the salary cap was the primary topic. He appeared more surprised about journalist Pablo Torre’s discovery of the agreement between Aspiration and Leonard and the Clippers potential involvement.
“When the [Torre] podcast came out, it was news to me. I’d frankly never heard of the company Aspiration before, and I’d never heard a whiff of anything around an endorsement deal with Kawhi or anything around engagement with the Los Angeles Clippers,” Silver said. “We quickly concluded this was something that rose to the level that necessitates an investigation, and in fact one that’s done outside of our office.”
The NBA has hired an outside firm to investigate the Clippers as Ballmer has claimed they were scammed by Aspiration, which was a founding partner of the team’s new arena before going bankrupt.
“The burden is on the league if we’re going to discipline a team, an owner, a player, or any constituent members of the league,” Silver said. “I think as with any process that requires a fundamental sense of fairness, the burden should be on the party that is, in essence, bringing those charges.
“I’d say in the case of the league; we and our investigators look at the totality of the evidence. I think that the goal of a full investigation is to find out if there really was impropriety. Also in a public-facing sport, the public at times reaches conclusions that later turn out to be completely false. I’d want anybody else in the situation Mr. Ballmer is in now, or Kawhi Leonard for that matter, to be treated the same way I would want to be treated if people were making allegations against me.”
The case is embarrassing for the league, and also questions whether Silver and the NBA have full control over their billionaire governors, who perhaps have the financial and business acumen to funnel money to free agents as a means of long-term contractual commitments. There have been reports that Leonard asked the Raptors for ownership pieces of the NHL’s Maple Leafs if he were to re-sign.
Was the Aspiration endorsement a way for the Clippers to keep Leonard from pursuing free agency? It’s difficult to believe one of the league’s most mercurial and unemotional personalities could garner a $48 million endorsement deal.
“Look at the response to the allegations against the Clippers and Mr. Ballmer right now. To suggest that there is a stigma around it would almost be an understatement,” Silver said. “The amount of attention that this has commanded, certainly no one out there is saying, ‘Oh, this is just business as usual in the NBA, what’s the big deal, this is what teams do when they want to sign players.’ People, in fact, their suggestion is this is highly aberrant behavior, which is why in response to a podcast and some additional media reports, we brought in the big guns on the investigation, and no one certainly around the league is suggesting an overreaction on the part of the league to a set of allegations and nothing else right now.
“I think we have made progress there. I think that there’s enormous stigma in this league around any sort of cheating or any lack of fair play. I think also the results we’re seeing, again, is from 2019 to now, as I said earlier, seven different champions. I think there is the sense around the league that there’s no league bias toward particular markets. I hope that’s how members of the NBA community and outsiders feel about our reaction to these allegations against the Clippers, that we take it very seriously, and that’s why we’re doing the investigation we are.”
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan inherits a similar roster to last season's unit.
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan inherits a similar roster to last season's unit.Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
ON THE HOT SEAT
Slow starts could
doom these coaches
The pressure to win in the NBA has never been higher, especially after Oklahoma City and Indiana reached the Finals last June and showed market size is no longer an excuse.
As training camps begin later this month, here are five coaches entering this season with demands on winning or else:
Billy Donovan, Bulls: Donovan was just inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach, but that was more for leading Florida to back-to-back national titles on the college level. Donovan’s NBA achievements have been minimal, and his job could be at stake if the Bulls don’t make a significant leap this season. Chicago, as usual, didn’t make many roster upgrades in the offseason, swapping Lonzo Ball for Isaac Okoro, and will not be expected to compete in the East but the common denominators in its underachievement have been management and Donovan. There could be a change if the younger players — Matas Buzelis and Coby White — don’t take their games to another level.
Willie Green, Pelicans: Besieged by injuries the past few years, New Orleans decided to get younger by moving CJ McCollum for the enigmatic Jordan Poole after Brandon Ingram was traded away at the deadline. The hope is Zion Williamson reports to camp in shape and completely healthy and Poole can play like a mature veteran. If not, the Pelicans, under new general manager Joe Dumars, may take this struggling franchise in a new direction. Dumars took some real chances in the draft to get Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, but there needs to be some improvement from one of the league’s biggest disappointments the past five years.
Doc Rivers, Bucks: Rivers was hired to make the Damian Lillard/Giannis Antetokounmpo duo work and injuries prevented that. Lillard was waived and Myles Turner was signed, as were several veterans from last year’s club. Antetokounmpo, who has two more years left on his deal and a player option for a third, could potentially demand a trade if he’s unhappy with the direction of the organization. Rivers has to make this work or his job could be in jeopardy.
Nick Nurse, 76ers: Nurse led the Raptors to the NBA championship in 2019, but his coaching reputation has taken major hits since. He agreed to leave and took the difficult job of coaching the 76ers following Rivers’s firing. The last two seasons in Philly (71-93) have been an injury plagued disaster with Nurse taking some of the blame because of the on-court confusion and upheaval sparked by Joel Embiid’s knee issues. Now, apparently everybody is healthy, and the 76ers were able to nab VJ Edgecombe in the draft and will get Jared McCain back from injury. Expectations have risen, especially with Indiana and Boston taking a step back. If the 76ers aren’t a playoff factor this season, changes could be in store.
Tyronn Lue, Clippers: This could be viewed as a surprise, but the Clippers are on the clock, especially with the Kawhi Leonard on top of the disappointment of his six years in Los Angeles. The club signed the declining Bradley Beal and traded away Norman Powell, but also added John Collins and Chris Paul. If they fail to make it past the first round, there could be an organizational overhaul because this is an aging team that will eventually decline into mediocrity.
A new-look Bucks roster will be overseen by Doc Rivers.
A new-look Bucks roster will be overseen by Doc Rivers.Michael Conroy/Associated Press
FINAL EPILOGUE
Howard clears air,
celebrates career
Hall of Fame weekend allows inductees to set the record straight on their career, plus gives space for reflections and regrets.
Dwight Howard is an eight-time All-Star, NBA champion, and three-time defensive player of the year, but there may not be a more criticized first-ballot Hall of Famer because he never emerged as a top five all-time center despite having the physical tools, the youth, and the elite athleticism.
Howard also was constantly chided for his playful personality, which led to the perception that he did not take the game and his talents as seriously as he should.
“It was upsetting when I was playing,” he said. “But the seriousness was the consistent work I was doing every day behind the scenes. So when I got to the game, it was entertainment.
“Everybody is paying to come see us play, so why don’t I entertain these people and go out there and block a shot and smile and dance and have a good time because I’ve done put in all the hard work to get to where I’m at, so why am I out there putting a mean face on? From the time I was born, I wanted to play in the NBA. Everything I did was to get to the NBA. Why would I make it and not be happy that I made it?”
The fun and games ended for Howard in his final years in Orlando despite leading the team to the NBA Finals. He clashed with coach Stan Van Gundy and, because of the criticism and perceived lack of focus, he asked out.
His career was never the same.
“And after years of hearing people say that I was like, ‘Let me stop,’ ” he said. “But I wasn’t having no fun, so the joy of basketball was gone. It’s like, why am I playing this game? Why am I doing this when I’m not having fun? My laughs, my jokes on the court was just me expressing how much joy and fun I was having being in the NBA.”
Dwight Howard, an eight-time All-Star and three-time defensive player of the year, was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this month.
Dwight Howard, an eight-time All-Star and three-time defensive player of the year, was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this month.Jessica Hill/Associated Press
Van Gundy attended Howard’s induction last week despite the rumors of a contentious relationship. Their friendship and appreciation has grown over the past several years because each had their most success together.
“When me and Stan were going through at the time, there was a lot of emotions,” he said. “I’m a young guy coming into the NBA, never experienced what I experienced, and I’m thinking I have to be a certain way to be the head of a franchise, it’s a lot of pride and a lot of ego that comes with that. But you don’t really see all that until you’re out of it.
“We had some great years in Orlando and I don’t think I would be in the Hall of Fame if it wasn’t for Stan — not just the X’s and O’s, but his belief in me and his belief was just the confidence he saw me exude every day in practice and then when I got in the game, it’s like, we’re following him. He will lead us and I’m very grateful for him because he pushed me to the limit. One thing I can say about Stan, he made sure we were well prepared.”
Only 39, Howard is younger than LeBron James and maintains his pristine physical condition. If not for his off-court issues, which have included a 2023 lawsuit for assault and battery and questions about his dedication at an advanced age, he would still receive NBA interest. He played this summer in Ice Cube’s Big3 league and flourished against other former NBA players, but that’s as much exposure to that life as he wants.
“I think physically, I can play in the NBA, but man, the NBA is a real sacrifice. And when I say that it’s family, friends, time for yourself, all those things you have to sacrifice. In order to play this sport you have to give all that stuff up. And at this stage of my life, I don’t want to give all that stuff up,” he said. “I feel like I spent so much time engulfed in basketball — my mind, my body, my spirit. Everything was in basketball and there was no time for the things with my family, my kids, my friends, and I was like, ‘Man I want to do this now.’ I done gave all this energy and effort and it’s led me to the Hall of Fame. So now I just want to enjoy it.”
Howard said he was never truly allowed to be himself during his 18-year career, when he was criticized for his playfulness, called unserious by teammates, and eventually nudged out of the league because his services as a defensive-minded center with a limited post game and no 3-point skills were no longer required.
“That’s the blessing and the curse of wanting to be in the NBA,” he said. “But I’m just thankful after playing in the league for so long I still have my mind and my health, because you can really go crazy from playing in this sport and being what I guess some people would call us famous or celebrity but I’m grateful my body and mind are still intact.”
Layups
Despite his summer league dominance with the Celtics, free agent Charles Bassey accepted an Exhibit 10 (training camp) invite from the Hawks, where he may have a chance to be a third center behind Onyeka Okongwu and Kristaps Porzingis. Atlanta also added former Oregon standout N’Faly Dante on a two-way contract and drafted 19-year-old Asa Newell out of the University of Georgia. That Bassey wasn’t able to procure a two-way or guaranteed deal is perhaps indicative of center depth in the NBA. The Celtics apparently feel comfortable going with Neemias Queta, who flourished for Portugal in EuroBasket, as their starter along with Luka Garza and two-way center Amari Williams. Chris Boucher and Josh Minott could also play small-ball center … The league decided to pull the semifinal of the NBA Cup away from Las Vegas and place it at the site of the higher seeded team. It also did not promise that the championship game of the NBA Cup will be in Las Vegas beyond the 2025-26 season … With mid-September approaching and training camps beginning at the end of the month, free agents are beginning to look overseas for opportunities. Former first-round pick Trey Lyles, who played most recently with the Kings, signed a deal with Real Madrid, one of the top non-NBA teams in the world. Cam Reddish, another former first-round pick who has never found footing in the NBA, is close to a deal with a team in Lithuania … With Josh Giddey agreeing to a four-year, $100 million deal with the Bulls, it leaves two restricted free agents unsigned: Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga and Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes. Neither appear close to resolving that. Grimes may have to accept the one-year, $6 million qualifying offer that Brooklyn’s Cameron Thomas signed last week; that will make him an unrestricted free agent next summer. Grimes was hoping for a Giddey-type deal, but the 76ers have shown no interest in committing long-term money to the swingman who was acquired last season from the Mavericks. Meanwhile, Kuminga’s situation is holding up the Warriors’ apparent agreements with Al Horford, Gary Payton Jr., and De’Anthony Melton. Horford still has not agreed to any deal, although it’s highly unlikely he will return to Boston.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.