‘I’m mad that it wasn’t me’: NBA champion says players don’t care about Kawhi Leonard, Clippers’ cap circumvention

NBA champion and analyst Richard Jefferson downplayed the importance of the ongoing $28 million “no-show” endorsement deal between the Los Angeles Clippers and its star Kawhi Leonard.

Jefferson, who retired in 2018 with the Denver Nuggets, spoke on “The Sports Reporter” podcast and said current players don’t care about the Clippers and Leonard’s alleged cap circumvention.

“You can go to the players and say, ‘What are your thoughts? Collectively? None of us can care that someone else got another $28 million. I’m mad that it wasn’t me. We ain’t heard no players complaining. We thought this was an unfair advantage, and with the league, players have shown zero outrage,” Jefferson said.

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Richard Jefferson reveals that players from across the NBA do not care if Kawhi Leonard did get paid an additional $28M under the table:

“Collectively, none of us care if someone got an extra $28M. I’m mad that it wasn’t me! … Players have shown zero outrage.”

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— APHoops (@APH00PS) October 7, 2025

The former All-Star continued that players in the NBA, especially the top stars, are not compensated enough for their contributions to each team’s popularity and finances.

Don’t tell me that LeBron James — and we saw what he did to the Cleveland economy when he would show up and then he would leave — don’t tell me he’s not worth billions to that community,” he said.

“You’re going to be capped to make the same amount of money as Ja Morant. It’s not baseball,” Jefferson added.

Leonard, the Clippers, and owner Steve Ballmer are in the middle of an investigation from the NBA after reporter Pablo Torre exposed alleged cap circumvention from the franchise and its star through an eco-friendly company called Aspiration.

Leonard was allegedly paid $28 million for a “no-show” endorsement deal by Aspiration after a $50 million investment from Ballmer.

Both parties have denied claims of cap dodging as NBA commissioner Adam Silver continues to investigate the alleged deal through a third party.

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