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Kawhi Leonard has not had the best offseason. That hasn’t stopped him from finding fun moments when necessary. The two-time champion reacted to a viral moment of Paul George against a Chinese street baller.

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The Klaw, holding his phone, reacted to the clip, as George conceded 60 points against the Chinese in a 1v1, with the game ending 101-60.

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“What is this? This guy’s over here playing pros and he scored 60 points on Paul George? Who is this? What is this? … Man, there’s no way he’s going to score 10 points on me. I’ll lock this dude up. He looks trash,” Leonard said (h/t) X user Kawhi222.

This is coming off reports of his ongoing NBA investigations. It began when Kawhi Leonard left the Toronto Raptors in free agency to sign with the Clippers. Owner Steve Ballmer made a $50 million personal investment in Aspiration, a green banking startup, and Aspiration was then announced as a $300 million sponsor of the Clippers.

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At the same time, Leonard signed his own $28 million endorsement deal with the company. Coming after he’d signed a four-year, $176 million contract extension with the team.

Pablo Torre reported that Leonard’s Aspiration deal was a “no-show job.” A source told Torre the arrangement “was to circumvent the salary cap.” The Clippers and Ballmer have denied any wrongdoing throughout, pointing to Aspiration founder Joe Sanberg as the real source of the fraud, not the Clippers.

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On Friday, Torre provided new information. He asserted that Leonard had a second, previously undisclosed sponsorship arrangement with Daktronics, the company that built the massive “Halo Board” scoreboard inside the Clippers’ Intuit Dome arena.

He cited an anonymous source described as a “high-level source under contract for Intuit Dome” who called the arrangement “1,000% a way to circumvent the salary cap.” It was alleged that money was “funneled from the Clippers through Daktronics back to Kawhi.”

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The deal allegedly paid Leonard more than $28 million through quarterly payments, on top of the three-year, $103 million contract he’d separately signed as a free agent. Leading to talk of more behind the scenes.

Kawhi Leonard addressed the allegations directly at Clippers media day: “The NBA is going to do their job. None of us did any wrongdoing. That’s it. We invite the investigations. It’s not going to be a distraction for me or my team.”

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The NBA hired the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to lead the probe. As a result, it paused Leonard’s since-agreed trade back to Toronto, which the Raptors put on hold once the league warned they’d inherit any punishment tied to the outcome.

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Ubong Richard

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Ubong Archibong is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports, bringing over two years of experience in basketball coverage. Having previously worked with Sportskeeda and FirstSportz, he has developed a strong foundation in delivering timely and engaging content around the league. His coverage focuses on game analysis, player performances, and evolving narratives across the National Basketball Association. Blending statistical insight with storytelling, Ubong aims to go beyond the immediate headline by placing performances and moments within a broader context, helping readers better understand the dynamics shaping the game. His work prioritizes clarity, accessibility, and a fan-first approach that connects audiences to both the action and the personalities behind it. Before joining EssentiallySports, Ubong covered the NBA and WNBA across multiple platforms, building experience in fast-paced reporting and deadline-driven publishing. His background in content writing has strengthened his ability to balance speed with accuracy, ensuring consistent and reliable coverage for a global audience.

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