Kawhi Leonard is going with the fake-news defense.
After The Athletic reported that Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, made outlandish and illegal demands during Leonard’s free-agency process over the summer, the Clippers star says he has “no knowledge” of the alleged requests.
“People make up stories every day,” Leonard said Tuesday ahead of the Clippers’ Christmas Day clash with the Lakers.
Robertson, according to The Athletic, was asking for an ownership stake, a private plane available at any time, a house and “a guaranteed amount of off-court endorsement money that they could expect if Leonard played for their team.”
These demands particularly rankled the Lakers, whose owner, Jeanie Buss, made clear to Robertson that such demands were illegal as they fall outside what’s allowed per the collective bargaining agreement. The report also says Robertson made similar demands in talks with the Raptors, who won their first-ever NBA title in June with Leonard leading the way.
After Leonard signed with the Clippers, the NBA investigated the club after the league received complaints about Robertson’s demands, per The Athletic, which also reports the Clippers weren’t found to have granted any of the requests.