No more silent! How did the former successor fall into controversy?

"I don't think this is incorrect. I am fully aware of the content of the contract and I know the obligations I must fulfill. I will not pay attention to those conspiracy theories or traffic fraud analysis reports."

This is Leonard's response when facing the doubts of the Yin-Yang contract on the Clippers Media Day.

On the surface, Leonard is calm and rational enough, but the story behind him seems to be much more complicated than these words.

The hot news for this offseason is the four-year, $28 million endorsement contract signed by Leonard and Aspiration.

Under this endorsement contract that seems simple on the surface but has doubts about details, Leonard basically did not attend any public commercial activities for Aspiration, but could earn an annual salary of 7 million yuan; the content of the contract also clearly stipulates that he must be a Clippers player to receive this reward, and the endorsement advertisement is directly linked to the team.

What is more sensitive is that the main investor of Aspiration is Clippers boss Ballmer, who invested 50 million yuan in personal investment, which almost overlaps with Leonard's player contract. These details inevitably aroused doubts from the outside world whether this endorsement is just a yin-yang contract, but in fact it is to bypass the salary cap and become an invisible check issued by the Clippers for Leonard.

And this is not the first time Leonard has appeared in the contract gray area:

In the 2017 Western Conference Finals, the Spurs' GDP is gradually entering their twilight years, while the young Leonard is showing his core style, gradually transforming from a defensive player to an all-round star who is both offensive and defensive.

The team was very proud of the team in a tacit way. However, with the slightest stretch of Warriors center Pachulia not only shattered the Spurs' dream of winning in one fell swoop, but also cut open the trust rift between Leonard and the Spurs.

During the recovery period, Spurs doctors diagnosed Leonard's knee degeneration, which is likely to affect his subsequent career. For the team, this means they need to be particularly cautious when opening long-term contracts; but from the perspective of Leonard's team, it is naturally difficult for them to accept such a weakened value. There was a conflict between the two sides' positions, and Leonard's uncle Dennis Robertson led the agent team to seek second medical advice, and the gap between the players and the team's medical team deepened. Until the summer of 2018, the cooperation between the two sides came to an end, Leonard was sent to Toronto for DeRozan, and the Spurs' replacement plan was also miscarried, and then became the Western Conference's bottom.

After coming to the Raptors, even though he was only regarded as a brief passerby of the team, Leonard still changed the league trajectory with his hot performance for a season. When he led the Raptors to his first championship in team history, he once again won the MVP in the finals.

In just one year, the controversial Spurs player has transformed into a city hero in northern Canada. His value, which had fallen to the bottom, soared to a high again after winning the championship.

But behind this championship, another breakup was kicked off:

Leonard joined the Raptors just a transition, while his uncle began to pave the way in the free market early after the season, privately offering harsh conditions, such as providing private jets, luxury homes, guaranteeing endorsement revenue, and even team shares.

Under the strict conditions, the Lakers directly refused, and the Raptors could not promise. In the end, only the Clippers were willing to take over. In order to sign Leonard, the team even paid a huge future price to trade with Paul George, forming a two-forward combination, which was once in awesome.

But unfortunately, Leonard had been facing health problems during the Clippers' period, which made it difficult for him to attend. Under the core team of the two forwards, the Clippers only reached the division finals at the far end.

And after this, Leonard's health problems seemed to be the norm. Although there is no doubt about his ability in a healthy state, he has never played more than 70 games in a single season in six seasons, which also makes the team face the same dilemma every year:

How to maximize Leonard's combat power in limited healthy time?

They can take turns to protect themselves in the regular season, but in the playoffs, they are inevitably disappointed.

Coming to this offseason, Clippers fans are once again looking forward to it. The team strongly signs and signs old captain Paul back, introducing Bills, Lopez, and Collins. The paper lineup is definitely luxurious, and the new season should be the starting point for their championship again. But the turmoil in the Yin-Yang contract instantly put the team in trouble.

For this endorsement contract, it not only damages the player's image, but also is likely to put the Clippers under the risk of heavy penalty in the league; historical cases show that the most serious cases may face high fines, confiscation of draft picks, and even invalidation of the contract. As for whether Leonard himself will be punished, it is another suspense.

Regardless of the final judgment of the league, one thing is beyond doubt:

For Leonard, he is no longer the silent scoring robot at the time, and his name is gradually becoming bound to rule loopholes and gray operations. On the court, he is still the best scoring ending point, but off the court, he has become a controversial figure again and again.

From a good model student to a current rule maker, for Leonard, this path seems to be more thrilling than ever.