Soft-spoken L.A. Clippers small forward Kawhi Leonard has landed in hot water this summer.
It was recently reported that the six-time All-NBA swingman agreed to accept up to $48 million in endorsement money from disgraced former Clippers sponsor Aspiration, a tree-planting company that has reportedly bilked investors out of millions.
The hooks that made the arrangement interesting: L.A. owner Steve Ballmer invested $50 million into the company, and Leonard never actually did a second of work despite the endorsement. Now, the league (and the Department of Justice) are investigating the situation.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, as he is wont to do in all basketball matters, has now weighed in on the explosive story across multiple platforms.
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On ESPN’s mainstay program “First Take,” Smith called out Leonard for taking major money despite his frequent injury absences.
Through the 2024-25 season, the 34-year-old San Diego State product has earned $325.8 million purely on the court. Leonard is owed $100.3 million in additional salary across the next two seasons — assuming the league doesn’t nullify his current deal.
“This man is a walking absentee on the ballot… if there’s a way for this brother to get money guaranteed without working… I haven’t seen too many people as gifted in taking time off as Kawhi Leonard.”- Stephen A. Smith(via @FirstTake)pic.twitter.com/y4QcQbfbuL https://t.co/1XKtTajCjK
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 3, 2025
“This man is a walking absentee on the ballot… if there’s a way for this brother to get money guaranteed without working,” Smith said. “I haven’t seen too many people as gifted in taking time off as Kawhi Leonard.”
To Smith’s point, Leonard has struggled to stay on the court, essentially since suffering a knee injury during the 2017 NBA playoffs while with the San Antonio Spurs. He has missed 73 or more games twice since then, and just sat out for 45 games in 2024-25.
But Smith wasn’t done. He also took to his own podcast, “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” to fully unload on the Leonard situation.
My thoughts on the Kawhi Leonard situation pic.twitter.com/XHXdAR9lsu
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 3, 2025
Still, when Leonard is on the hardwood, he remains a ferocious two-way player. In his 37 healthy regular season bouts for the 50-32 Clippers last year, Leonard averaged 21.5 points on .498/.411/.810 shooting splits, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks. That’s all pretty much in line with his career averages.
A two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Finals MVP, Leonard is surely a first-ballot Hall of Famer. This controversy over, perhaps, some unaccounted-for under-the-table money will not change his on-court legacy much.
Still, it’s possible that there could be severe short-term financial penalties heading his way from the league.
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