Who is Kawhi Leonard's 'Uncle Dennis', representative of the LA Clippers superstar who came to light during trade demand at San Antonio Spurs?
Kawhi Leonard wanted out of San Antonio after the 2018 season. He won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 2014. But he was ready to move on to another organization.
When you think of Kawhi Leonard, his uncle is the first person that comes to mind. His uncle, Dennis Robertson, made it known that he didn't want his nephew playing with the Spurs anymore. Robertson played a significant role in Kawhi Leonard's life after his father, Mark Leonard, passed away in 2008.
Typically, when a player wants to be traded, their agent leaks the news to the media. However, the process for Kawhi Leonard was much different.
Some NBA fans believe that Uncle Dennis played a pivotal role in Kawhi Leonard's decision to sign with the LA Clippers. He was fresh off a championship season with the Toronto Raptors. It made sense to return to the team for a chance to repeat. But Kawhi Leonard's camp had other plans.
Some around the league believe that Leonard was "faking" his injury during the 2017-18 season. He used it as leverage to persuade the Spurs into trading him. But it's clear today that his injury is a permanent issue. It needs to be managed properly to maximize Leonard's effectiveness on the court.
The NBA conducted an investigation to see if there was any wrongdoing when the Clippers signed Leonard in the summer of 2019. According to Sam Amick, Dennis Robertson broke some of the NBA's free agency rules.
"Robertson asked [Clippers] officials for part ownership of the team, a private plane that would be available at all times, a house. ... A guaranteed amount of off-court endorsement money that they could expect if Leonard played for their team."
"All of those items would fall well outside the confines of the league’s collective bargaining agreement."
The LA Lakers were the other team in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes. This would have paired him with superstar LeBron James. According to Sam Amick, these requests were denied by the Lakers. They couldn't give Kawhi Leonard and his uncle what they wanted.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke to 'The Athletic' about the situation:
“I will also say that we (were) trying to draw a line at this board meeting. Focus everyone on the (free agency) rules going forward. I think that (I’ll) just leave it at that."
"We are looking at the behavior from the summer. We have and we continue to look at it. First and foremost, we want to change the way business is done going forward.”
Uncle Dennis was cleared of any wrongdoing. Kawhi Leonard has three more years left on his contract. He will be eligible for free agency following the 2024-25 season.