Fans of the Golden State Warriors have likely been as interested in the Kawhi Leonard scandal as any other NBA fan -- or honestly, any sports fan. Now, however, one of their own has been pulled into the story in the funniest way possible, as Stephen Curry received a name drop as a part of the investigation.
The primary detective and publisher of this scandal has been Pablo Torre, a Harvard graduate and onetime fact finder who spent years with ESPN before starting his own video podcast called "Pablo Torre Finds Out." And boy has he found out. He has been reporting for the past several weeks on a situation where the LA Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer appear to have sidestepped the NBA's rules and paid All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard "off the books" via a fradulent company called Aspiration.
Torre's sources have been wide-ranging, but he is speaking to multiple former employees of Aspiration. For more on the situation, you can go to his channel and watch the unfolding insanity of what the Clippers and Aspiration appear to have pulled off. Just this week, Torre dropped a new episode where a certain beloved Warriors star has his name brought up.
Steph Curry is pulled into the Kawhi Leonard scandal
During the show, Torre and his guest Amin Elhassan read a text message exchange between two of Aspire's employees at the time. They are incredulous that their company is signing Leonard to an endorsement deal. After some marketing lingo about how narrow a market he appeals to, one of the employees makes a more casual observation about the former Finals MVP:
"Plus, Kawhi's dull."
It's hard to argue with that assessment, at least from a marketing standpoint. Kawhi Leonard has a reserved personality, limits his interactions with media and is locked in during games. When he laughed one time it became an Internet sensation because it so rarely happens. It wasn't necessarily kind, but it makes sense that these marketing-focused employees made that comment when considering him for an endorsement.
What came next was very unexpected, as Stephen Curry was suddenly pulled into the maelstrom that is this circumvention scandal. That employee followed up with this line:
"Steph Curry is at least charismatic. If u want an NBA star."
The Baby-Faced Assassin, entering from stage right! No one expected Curry's name to come up in the midst of this investigation. That it's in an entirely benign manner only adds to the hilarity. These employees are discussing the insanity of hiring Kawhi Leonard to be a frontman for the company -- and they know enough to want Steph Curry instead.
The Warriors are blessed to have Steph Curry
Curry is certainly a charismatic NBA celebrity, someone whose on-court leadership carries over into his interactions with fans and media. He comes across as genuine and thoughtful and a little bit playful. He has taken part in pranks, spoke on social issues, established charities and built up aspiring athletes and individuals. He is outspoken about his faith and yet is still beloved by nearly the entire NBA demographic.
What's more, Curry's reputation is squeaky clean. The Warriors have not had to deal with this sort of scandal or even tensions around a player's off-court behavior, and their negotiations with Curry have always been straightforward. The Clippers have from the jump had to bend over backwards to make Leonard happy, all the while needing other team leaders and half the time playing without Leonard due to injury. It hasn't been worth it, not by a long shot.
No one is concerned that Curry and the Warriors have a side deal. No one is asking whether having Curry under contract is worth it. And where Leonard's intangibles are all dragging down his immense on-court value, Curry's intangibles only exponentially multiply his on-court value. Few players in NBA history have meant more to a franchise; few players in NBA history have cost a franchise more than Kawhi Leonard.
If you want trouble and headaches and frustration, go find Kawhi Leonard. If you want charisma and leadership and integrity, go find Stephen Curry. The Warriors won the lottery when they drafted Wardell Stephen Curry II -- and they didn't need to scam anyone about carbon credits to do it.