Locked On Wizards - Daily Podcast On The Washington Wizards NBA SQUAD: Breaking Down The Crazy Kawhi Leonard, Steve Ballmer Scandal
Sep 5, 2025
Rylan Styles, the insightful host of the Locked On Thunder podcast, dives deep into the financial scandals involving Kawhi Leonard and Steve Ballmer. Philip Rossman-Reich from the Locked On Magic podcast discusses the controversial NBA All-Star game format and its waning relevance. Meanwhile, Ryan Blackburn of the Locked On Nuggets podcast highlights the broader implications of these scandals on team dynamics and competitive balance in the league. The trio combines analysis with humor, making for an engaging discussion on the intersection of sports ethics and management.
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Pablo Torre's Reporting Carries Weight
- Pablo Torre's reporting on Kawhi and Aspiration feels credible to multiple hosts given his track record and sourcing.
- Hosts view the reported $28M no-show deal as suspicious and worthy of league scrutiny.
Big Payment Raises Logical Questions
- Hosts question why Aspiration would pay $28M if Kawhi did no visible work or promotion for them.
- They find it odd Ballmer would let the company fail if funds were meant to hide payments for cap circumvention.
Circumvention May Be Widespread
- Panelists say under-the-table payments likely happen across the NBA historically, making the Clippers case unsurprising.
- They see the large size of the alleged payment as what makes this story especially conspicuous.