Kawhi Leonard Paid $672,000 by Boingo for Navy Event
NBA probe finds Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard received $672,000 from sponsor Boingo for a sham appearance with US Navy sailors that was never publicized.
The NBA's investigation into the Clippers has produced a serious penalty. According to the findings, forward Kawhi Leonard received additional payments from four Clippers partners through sponsorship deals that had no real commercial substance.
Journalist Pablo Torre published the latest part of his reporting series, detailing an event organised by Boingo in which Leonard took part. Leonard spoke with US Navy sailors and posed for a photo session. Boingo never publicised his appearance on its own channels or through the press. Word of the event came from the Navy itself, whose personnel were told it was a personal, civilian initiative by Leonard.
"It's just disgusting that Boingo used their connection to the military to pull something like this off. These sailors had no idea they were participating in a fraud," said a Boingo employee who shared the material with Torre.
The meeting was arranged at a session involving staff of Steve Ballmer and was listed on Boingo's calendar as "Clippers Financial Matters". Leonard was paid $672,000 for the appearance. The only tangible output from the sponsorship event was a social media post from the naval base, which drew 119 likes.
If the league's findings stand, the case adds to a run of reporting that has already tied Leonard's Aspiration deal and other Clippers-linked sponsorships to Torre's investigation, and it keeps the pressure on the franchise's ownership over how those contracts were structured.
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