[Holmes] ESPN obtained a 19-page contract between Leonard and Aspiration which details several pages of obligations for Leonard with a “beliefs” clause that allowed him an out of certain obligations. Three player agents who do not represent Leonard said the deal is “standard.”
ESPN obtained a 19-page contract between Leonard and Aspiration, signed in April 2022, which details several pages of obligations for Leonard. Among them were commitments including autograph signings, community service events, promotional and public appearances and an annual eight-hour day of filming.
ESPN showed five player agents who don’t represent Leonard language in Leonard’s endorsement contract pertaining to obligations and termination clauses. ESPN also showed the same language to an NBPA source who is familiar with such contracts.
Said one agent, “This is standard. Nothing unusual here.”
Said another, “There’s nothing in there that jumps out to me. Everything is pretty standard.”
A third agent made similar comments.
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The NBPA source told ESPN that “there is nothing in that contract that is inconsistent with the regular course of business. The only thing that stands out is that language that says ‘consistent with his beliefs, which is too broad and too vague. And that is really just a question of good negotiation. If a lawyer said, ‘Look, we want to have this language as broad as possible because we can’t sit here today and envision all the promotional activities you may be asking Kawhi to do,’ and if the lawyer for Aspiration is stupid enough to say, OK, we’ll allow that,’ then that’s just good negotiation by Kawhi’s team. But there’s nothing on the face of that contract that suggests that this was all orchestrated.”
The NBPA source then said that while the language in the “beliefs” provision is certainly favorable to Leonard, the source also pointed out that Aspiration wasn’t a well-managed company and that it ultimately went bankrupt.
The agents separately echoed the NBPA source’s point that while aspects of the contract may be favorable to Leonard, there appears to be nothing in the deal itself that suggests that Leonard’s deal was orchestrated in such a way as to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap.