Kawhi Leonard's 2019 move to the LA Clippers is under scrutiny, with reports suggesting owner Steve Ballmer allegedly funneled $28 million through a tree-planting company to skirt the salary cap. The story has drawn major attention, with the San Antonio Zoo using this moment to roast Leonard.
KENS 5's Jeff Garcia reposted a post on X (FKA Twitter) from the San Antonio Zoo on Friday, where they roasted Leonard through a short skit.
"Leave it to @MananaZoo to fully cook Klaw during this drama with the Clippers, #porvida fans... #nba#SanAntonio," Gracia wrote.
The video clip started with Leonard's bust and a disclaimer saying the trees shown were "100 % real." Playing off his ongoing scandal, it then showed San Antonio Zoo staff being questioned about Leonard and the Clippers hierarchy.
"Have you seen Kawhi? Have you seen Uncle Dennis? Have you seen Steve?" the workers were questioned.
San Antonio utilized this opportunity to poke fun at Kawhi Leonard, with their captain subtly joining the forward while also rooting for the Spurs.
"San Antonio Zoo takes our tree planting very seriously. In light of recent news, an immediate investigation was launched on the property to determine if any potentially fraudulent activity (aka “Clipping”) was occurring on zoo grounds by a previously known “actor. This video chronicles our investigation. Any similarities to names, or current news stories are strictly coincidental and in parody…oh and GO SPURS GO!" the caption read.
The Scandal surrounding Leonard's acquisition by the LA Clippers surfaced on Wednesday, after journalist Pablo Torre shared documents on his podcast. The files showcased that Leonard was paid a large sum of money through an LLC named KL2 by a tree-planting company.
Steve Ballmer backs LA Clippers in light of Kawhi Leonard scandal
LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer gave his first statement regarding the Kawhi Leonard scandal during an interview with ESPN on Thursday.
"I want to say one thing very clearly. We, the Clippers, have abided by the salary cap circumvention rules because that's the right thing to do and we have done that," he said.
Ballmer backed the Clippers while denying the allegations made by Pablo Torre in his podcast.
As per Torre, Leonard had no-show contract with a company in which Balmer was an investor, and claimed that the Clippers made this deal to circumvent the salary cap.