Pablo Torre takes issue with ESPN’s Kawhi Leonard reporting

Considering he was the person who first broke the story, there is no member of the media more familiar with the ongoing Kawhi Leonard saga than Pablo Torre.

And when it comes to ESPN’s latest report on the matter, the Meadowlark Media host raised some red flags, including a potential conflict of interest for one of its authors.

On Monday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Baxter Holmes published a story titled, “Sources: NBA OK’d Clippers’ Aspiration sponsorship deal in 2021.” According to the report, the NBA “vetted and approved a $300 million sponsorship deal between the LA Clippers and Aspiration,” the carbon credits company that has been at the center of Torre’s reporting for more than a month.

If nothing else, the report helps clarify conflicting statements that NBA commissioner Adam Silver has given regarding his previous familiarity with Aspiration. The report also notes that Aspiration’s endorsement deal with Leonard — which was signed after the initial 2021 agreement with the Clippers —wasn’t subjected to league approval.

All things considered, the report seemed fairly straightforward, although it didn’t necessarily include the type of bombshell evidence that has become a staple of Pablo Torre Finds Out. Still, there were multiple aspects of the ESPN story that didn’t sit well with Torre, which he called attention to in a series of posts on X.

In particular, the Harvard alum made note of a line referring to his reporting that states, “an unnamed employee who purportedly worked for the banking company” told him that Aspiration’s deal with Leonard was intended to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap. In his post on X, Torre reiterated that he wasn’t relying on a single source, but rather seven former employees, including three named executives who provided a signed statement.

Torre also pointed out that he had already reported weeks ago that the Clippers’ $300 million deal with Aspiration needed to be “expressly approved” by the NBA. Lastly, he noted that one of the story’s authors, Bobby Marks, previously worked with Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank in the Nets’ front office, which wasn’t disclosed in the reporting.

While one could argue either way about the news value of ESPN’s report, Torre isn’t wrong when he points out that the story undersells his own reporting on the matter. Factor in Marks’ ties to the Clippers front office, and it’s understandable why the ex-ESPN writer would feel strongly enough about the report to publicly call it out.

As for where the story goes from here, the league’s investigation remains ongoing. Don’t, however, expect these type of stories to go away anytime soon, especially with the NBA’s regular season set to begin next week.