The NBA’s richest team owner is in a big legal mess. While Steve Ballmer was busy celebrating the dawn of a new era for the Clippers following the launch of the Intuit Dome, Kawhi Leonard’s personal trainer Randy Shelton hit the organization with a major lawsuit accusing them of wrongfully terminating his employment. The said reason? He complained to team management of subjecting Leonard to unsafe and illegal injury treatment, even disregarding his health and safety. But these allegations did not end there as he has also accused the former Microsoft CEO and his LA side’s crew of tampering to get the hooper on board five years ago.

Yes, as per the shocking lawsuit, the organization’s plan to lure The Klaw to LA had been in motion for quite some time. And Randy’s hiring was supposedly the culmination of a multi-year campaign by the Clippers, disregarding the league’s strict tampering rules. Well, they allegedly approached Shelton 2 years before Kawhi’s signing, to begin their pursuit. They even sought his private health records.

Moreover, Randy was lured away from his previous job at San Diego State University, Leonard’s alma mater, to take on the role of the Clippers’ strength and conditioning coach the same year Kawhi left Toronto for LA. He remained part of the org until last year.

While the league rules clearly state that no organization may directly or indirectly attempt to entice a player to join a new team when they are under contract with a different team, the Clippers often publicly displayed their interest in Kawhi. The lawsuit states that team personnel personally attended 75% of the Raptors’ games during the season in which Kawhi led them to a championship.

In fact, the Clippers were fined $50,000 in 2019 for tampering because of Doc Rivers’ comments about Leonard, who was heading into free agency soon after that. Adam Silver had to intervene, and the Commissioner confirmed that Rivers had “crossed a bright line.”

Well, the chain reaction might also be the reason why Paul George joined the Clippers because The Klaw reportedly told the org that he would not join if they didn’t add another All-Star to the team. So, if Randy Shelton’s allegations are true, the LA Clippers could find themselves in deep waters for tampering.

Steve Ballmer and Co. deny Randy Shelton’s allegations while the NBA remains tight-lipped

Amid the lawsuit unveiling some major accusations, the Los Angeles Clippers have denied all allegations by their ex-employee, “Mr. Shelton’s claims were investigated and found to be without merit. We honored Mr. Shelton’s employment contract and paid him in full. This lawsuit is a belated attempt to shake down the Clippers based on accusations that Mr. Shelton should know are false.”

And around their plan of pursuing Kawhi Leonard, Lawrence Frank, in 2019 itself, during an introductory press conference remarked, “We never had a conversation with Kawhi or any of his people… We know the rules. We follow the rules… We are always going to be above the line.” Meanwhile, the NBA’s league office acknowledged the lawsuit earlier today but is yet to make further comments on the issue. Surely, there will be an in-depth investigation before they make any public statement regarding the sensitive subject concerning Steve Ballmer and Co.