Former NBA player Danilo Gallinari has demanded $50 million from Kawhi Leonard, claiming that Leonard's actions in 2019 altered the trajectory of his career. Gallinari stated on the podcast “A Cresta Alta” that Leonard should be responsible for this amount, which he intends to donate to charity.
The sum is a stark contrast to the $700,000 fine Leonard received as part of a larger NBA investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers' salary cap violations. The league imposed a record $30 million fine on the Clippers, stripped them of five first-round draft picks, and suspended owner Steve Ballmer for one year.
Gallinari's assertion links his departure from the Clippers to this scandal, a connection that appears tenuous. The cap investigation focused partly on a $28 million endorsement agreement involving Leonard, reportedly without any promotional work performed, an arrangement made years after Gallinari had been traded.
Leonard was instrumental in the trade that brought Paul George to the Clippers from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019. This blockbuster deal, which also involved Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and multiple draft picks, was reportedly driven by Leonard's desire for another star player.
While Gallinari acknowledges the transactional nature of player movement in professional sports, he expressed that having another player's desire initiate a trade can be particularly difficult. He was traded from the Clippers in the same deal that sent Paul George to Los Angeles.
Following his departure from the Clippers, Gallinari played one season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 18.7 points and 5.2 rebounds, before signing a three-year, $61.4 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks. The article notes that this subsequent contract and performance do not align with a career being financially ruined, and that Gallinari was 31 years old during his time with the Thunder, an age when most players' careers begin to decline. The piece concludes that while Leonard was not blameless in the Clippers scandal, attributing Gallinari's career trajectory to his actions is a speculative claim.
