Kawhi Leonard is the main character today thanks to Pablo Torre's latest investigatroy podcast which revealed that the Clippers star was receiving $7 million a year from a now-bankrupt tree planting company with financial ties to team owner Steve Balmer.
The Clippers have denied the report saying, "Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false."
The denial by the team did not stop First Take from tackling the subject on Wednesday morning with Stephen A. Smith going off on Leonard saying he's never seen a "superstar do less to market and promote his team or promote the brand."
Stephen A. Smith goes off on Kawhi
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“If there's a way for this brother to get money guaranteed without working... I haven't seen too many people as gifted in taking time off as Kawhi Leonard.”
(🎥 @FirstTake / h/t @ClutchPoints )
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"I've seen them go up to him and need him to sign autographs and fraternize with the public when he was sitting on his behind on the bench collecting about $40-plus million and he wouldn't do it," said Smith. "He has spent years... Years! Doing absolutely nothing."
"This man is a walking absentee on the ballot," Smith continued. "This brother will check the absentee ballot as much as he possibly can throughout his career. So when I saw this report and it says money for doing nothing... I said hmmm. That's what made me pause. Not because of Steve Ballmer. Not because of the Clippers. 'Cause of him! Because if there's a way for this brother to get money, guaranteed, without working!? That's what this brother has done."
Leonard has been a regular target of Smith's in the past for no-showing his main job with the Clippers.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith Rips Kawhi Leonard Over No-Show Tree Company Job Report.
