Kawhi Leonard’s controversial Uncle Dennis has been given the longest suspension of anyone involved in the Aspiration scandal.
Dennis Robertson, Leonard’s uncle and former business manager, has been barred from conducting any business with NBA teams on any player’s behalf for five years due to his role in the scandal surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers’ salary cap circumvention, the league announced Wednesday. Essentially, Robertson is frozen out of NBA business until 2031.
The fact that Robertson was tightly involved in the scandal does not come as a surprise. During Leonard’s 2019 free agency, it was widely reported that he demanded significant and illegal concessions from teams interested in signing the forward. It was reported more recently that Robertson had specifically asked for guaranteed off-court endorsement money for Leonard.
At the time, Leonard said he had no knowledge of his uncle’s demands to teams.
Leonard did ultimately sign with the Clippers, who were punished heavily on Wednesday after it was found they illegally circumvented salary cap rules to funnel extra money to the star player. Clearly, the NBA found evidence that Robertson played a big role in that arrangement.
