The Los Angeles Clippers received one of the most punishing penalties in NBA history as they were stripped of five first-round picks after the league found out that they circumvented salary cap rules for Kawhi Leonard.
Less than 24 hours after the NBA’s penalties were announced, more details emerged about the Clippers’ role in circumventing salary cap rules for Leonard over the past few years.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Clippers were a huge power broker for Leonard and his business representatives led by former manager Dennis Robertson.
Charania added that there were millions of dollars involved and that it happened at the start of the decade, when Leonard was just in his second and third year with the Clippers.
“I had one executive tell me last night, that the Clippers were essentially acting like a power agent brokering deals for Kawhi Leonard’s business representative at the time and Dennis Robertson,” Charania said.
“I had one executive tell me last night, Greeney, that the Clippers were essentially acting like a power agent brokering deals for Kawhi Leonard’s business representative at the time and Dennis Robertson. And that’s millions and millions of cash flow coming into Kawhi
Who Is Dennis Robertson In The Kawhi Leonard-LA Clippers Scandal?
Dennis Robertson, commonly known in the basketball world as “Uncle Dennis,” is the maternal uncle and former longtime business manager of Kawhi Leonard.
While Kawhi has used certified agents (like Mitch Frankel) for official paperwork, Robertson has historically acted as the primary strategist and gatekeeper for Kawhi’s business moves.
“And that’s millions and millions of cash flow coming into Kawhi Leonard at a point in time in the calendar where we were in the pandemic in 2020 and 2021,” Charania added. “By mid-2021, Kawhi Leonard had pocketed tens of millions of dollars in endorsement deals where there just was not any type of showing up or any type of obligation that he had. And it wasn’t just one company, it was four companies that the NBA found.”
The league penalized the franchise with a $30 million fine and the forfeiture of five consecutive first-round draft picks from 2029 through 2033.
The Clippers leadership also faced major consequences as well, with team owner Steve Ballmer suspended for one year from all league and franchise activities, president of business operations Gillian Zucker suspended for one year without pay, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank suspended for six months without pay.
Additionally, the team was placed under a five-year league compliance and monitoring program, while Leonard was fined $700,000 and his former business manager, Dennis Robertson, was banned from engaging with NBA teams for five years.
Shams Explains Why Kawhi Leonard Did Not Receive Harsh Punishments
Charania also addressed why Kawhi Leonard received a meager penalty relative to what the Clippers absorbed.
According to Shams, Leonard was not aware of what was going on because he gave all the authority to Dennis Robertson.
“And the investigation, I do have to make it clear, did show that Kawhi Leonard did not have any knowledge of this salary cap circumvention that was going on. He had essentially given all of the power to his uncle Dennis Robertson for years now, and Dennis Robertson is now banned from all basketball business moving forward,” Charania said.
Robertson was a father figure for Leonard. After Leonard’s father, Mark Leonard, was tragically shot and killed in 2008, Robertson stepped in as a central father figure, mentor, and advisor to Kawhi during his journey from college to the NBA.
Robertson first gained widespread notoriety during the summer of 2019 when Kawhi was a free agent after winning an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors.
Rumors reportedly swirled across the league that Robertson was making massive, improper requests to teams, such as the Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers during pitch meetings, including demands for private planes, houses, and guaranteed marketing money.
In June 2026, Leonard severed professional ties and fired Robertson as his business manager, shortly before the NBA finalized its massive investigation into their partnership with the Clippers.
Now, Leonard is on his way back to the Raptors, a team that traded for him two months ago.
LA Clippers Scandal: More Details Emerge About Salary Circumvention For Kawhi Leonard