The NBA’s investigation into Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers has taken another significant turn, with a new report alleging that Leonard had a previously undisclosed multimillion-dollar sponsorship agreement with the company responsible for one of the signature features inside Intuit Dome.
According to Pablo Torre of Pablo Torre Finds Out, Leonard had a sponsorship arrangement with Daktronics, the South Dakota-based company that designed and manufactured the massive “Halo Board” inside the Clippers’ $2 billion arena. Multiple anonymous sources connected to the Clippers and the Intuit Dome project told Torre that the deal was worth millions of dollars.
The precise value, timing and contractual requirements of the alleged agreement remain unclear. A representative speaking for Daktronics told Hunterbrook Media that Leonard does not currently have an active deal with the company, but did not clearly address whether such an agreement existed previously. The spokesperson also referenced the ongoing NBA investigation being conducted by outside law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
The issue for investigators would be whether the agreement represented legitimate market-rate endorsement compensation or whether it was connected to the Clippers and designed to provide Leonard with additional money outside of his NBA contract.
One source quoted by Torre went much further, alleging that the arrangement was intended to circumvent the salary cap.
BREAKING: Kawhi Leonard had a hidden, multimillion-dollar “sponsorship” with Clippers’ scoreboard-maker, sources tell @PabloTorre.
“It was 1,000% a way to circumvent the salary cap,” insider says.
In our investigation, Daktronics’ Ballmer-linked crisis firm raises NBA probe ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/LU1AeBAF44
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) August 7, 2026
Leonard is already at the center of a separate league investigation involving Aspiration. The two-time Finals MVP reportedly signed a four-year, $28 million endorsement agreement with the sustainability company in 2022. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had invested $50 million in Aspiration, while the company separately agreed to a major sponsorship partnership with the franchise. The Clippers have denied that the arrangement was used to circumvent the salary cap, and Ballmer has said he was himself defrauded by Aspiration.
Daktronics has a substantial direct business relationship with the Clippers as well. The company built Intuit Dome’s enormous double-sided video display, one of the arena’s defining technological features. That connection is what makes an undisclosed Leonard sponsorship potentially relevant to investigators, even though a commercial relationship alone does not prove improper compensation.
For now, the new report adds another layer of scrutiny rather than providing a final answer. Leonard has not been found to have violated NBA rules, and the league has not announced any conclusion regarding either the Aspiration arrangement or the reported Daktronics deal.
