NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Speaks Out on Kawhi Leonard Endorsement Scandal

The Kawhi Leonard Endorsement Scandal continues to be front and center around the NBA, and now the league itself has launched an investigation, and commissioner Adam Silver has spoken out. But without a smoking gun, he says he's hesitant to act.

"I never heard a whiff of anything around an endorsement deal with Kawhi [Leonard] or anything around an engagement with the Los Angeles Clippers."

Silver responds as the NBA launches an investigation into whether the Clippers arranged a $28M endorsement deal for Kawhi Leonard. pic.twitter.com/LrwPAlrkMi
— ESPN (@espn) September 10, 2025

Silver said on Wednesday that he would be “reluctant to act” without substantial proof. And we shouldn't expect any decisions soon.

“I think the goal of a full investigation is to find out if there really was impropriety,” he said. “In a public-facing sport, the public at times reaches conclusions that later turn out to be completely false. I would want anyone else in situations Mr. Ballmer is in now — and Kawhi, for that matter — to be treated the same way I would want to be treated if people were making allegations against me. We’re not a court of law at the end of the day, either.

“I’m a big believer in due process and fairness, and you need to let the investigation run its course.”

At the same time, he's taking it very seriously, and has brought in the same high-priced law firm that has led other league investigations, like the one recently into former Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver.

The controversy is around a report that alleges that the Clippers arranged for a $28M endorsement deal for Kawhi Leonard as a way to circumvent the salary cap when he signed his second contract with the team in 2021.

If the NBA's investigation finds proof that the Clippers & Kawhi are guilty of this, the penalties could be "crippling" for the team, including fines, loss of draft picks, suspensions, and more.