Saying that Kawhi Leonard should be forced to pay back all of his earnings from “no-show” sponsorship deals from his time with the Los Angeles Clippers, Danilo Gallinari says the two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player “altered the trajectory of [his] career.”
Speaking on his A Cresta Alta podcast (in Italian) alongside his brother Federico Gallinari, Gallinari lambasted Leonard and accused him of forcing him out of Los Angeles. Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were the two players sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder, along with five first-round picks, as part of the trade to land Paul George ahead of Leonard signing with the Clippers in the summer of 2019. He would go on to play one season in OKC.
“The truth is, we ended up taking some great paths — my year in Oklahoma was fantastic — but my NBA journey wasn’t shaped by a GM or an owner, like it was [when I was dealt by] the [New York] Knicks [in 2011]; it was shaped by a player,” Gallinari said. “A player who decided the team wasn’t working and wanted something else. And that set off a chain of events that, as you can see, were far from normal.”
The 38-year-old Gallinari, who appeared in 778 career NBA games across 14 seasons, says the $700,000 fine doled out to Leonard as part of the Clippers’ cap-circumvention punishment isn’t enough.
“In my opinion, considering he altered the trajectory of my career and landed me in a mess by shipping me out of Los Angeles, he deserves to pay the full amount,” Gallinari said to his brother. “He needs to pay every single cent of that money he took. He ought to give it to charity — since he has to pay it anyway, let it go to a good cause. But first and foremost, he absolutely has to pay it.”
Gallinari says he, more than anybody else, felt the effects of Leonard’s move to the Clippers.
“I was the one who ultimately paid the price,” Gallinari said “I was the one who suffered the consequences.”
Gallinari last played in the NBA during the 2023-2024 season when he spent time with all of the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards. He also suited up for the Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets and Knicks.
Leonard, 35, closed his Clippers chapter on Monday as he was dealt back to the Toronto Raptors.
