Kawhi Leonard was one of the NBA's most coveted free agents this summer. For most of his career, Kawhi's business dealings have involved his uncle Dennis Robertson. He apparently attempted to capitalize on his nephew's stardom by making improper requests to teams during free agency.
Robertson presented teams with a list of demands for pursuing teams, according to The Athletic. He reportedly wanted a host of items that fall outside of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, including an ownership stake in interested teams, a house, a readily available private plane, and a guaranteed amount of the off-court endorsement money that would come from Kawhi signing with the franchise.
These demands allegedly fractured Leonard's chances of signing with the Lakers. Sources claim that Robertson repeatedly asked owner Jeanie Buss to accept his requests before she informed him they were illegal and won't be considered. Robertson retorted by pointing to Magic's position in the ownership group.
When Johnson was forced to retire in 1991 after contracting HIV, Jeanie's father, Jerry Buss, still owed him $14 million. To fulfill his debt to Magic and ensure that Johnson's family would be secure in case the virus took hold, Buss gave Johnson a 4 percent stake in the team that he ended up selling in 2010. Not only is this circumstance vastly different from a free agency package, but it also didn't violate any league rules.
This is not the first time news of Robertson's potential requests have hit headlines. In July, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith talked about the rumors of Robertson's list of demands.
"Allegedly, the uncle, Uncle Dennis, was asking for a lot of stuff from the other teams. Houses, planes, sponsorship, guaranteed sponsorship money, just as an example," Smith said on First Take. "They’re throwing this stuff out there. All of those things are supposedly illegal in the collective bargaining agreement."
