"I'm mad that it wasn't me" - Richard Jefferson drops truth bomb on NBA players' sentiments about Kawhi Leonard's $28,000,000 windfall

Kawhi Leonard's $28 million sponsorship deal with Aspiration was one of the biggest headlines of the NBA offseason. The LA Clippers are currently under investigation by the league for alleged salary cap violations. However, Richard Jefferson shared what he thought was the sentiment from players around the NBA.

On the latest episode of ESPN's "The Sports Reporters," host Jeremy Schaap was joined by three former NBA players, Jefferson, Quentin Richardson and Channing Frye, to discuss the players' perspective of the issue.

Jefferson offered his take, saying that players are not concerned about it at all. He went as far as claiming that some might even be jealous that Leonard got an extra $28 million outside of his contract with the Clippers.

"You can go to the players and say, 'What are your thoughts? Collectively? None of us can care that someone else got another 28 million. I'm mad that it wasn't me.' ... We ain't heard no players complaining. We thought this was an unfair advantage, and with the league, players have shown zero outrage."

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Channing Frye added that things would have been different if Kawhi Leonard had led the LA Clippers to an NBA championship. There would have been more scrutiny if that had happened, but Leonard just couldn't stay healthy for a long playoff run.

Another possible explanation for why current players are not saying anything or being asked about the issue is due to legal reasons. The NBA already hired the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or not.

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What did Kawhi Leonard say about his contract with Aspiration?

What did Kawhi Leonard say about his contract with Aspiration? (Photo: IMAGN)

During the LA Clippers' media day near the end of September, Kawhi Leonard was unsurprisingly asked about his alleged "no-show" contract with Aspiration. Leonard wasn't worried about the issue, calling it a "conspiracy." He also said that the now bankrupt company still owed him money from his sponsorship deal.

"It's easy for me," Leonard said, according to CBS Sports. "I don't read headlines or do conspiracy theories or anything like that. It's about the season and what we've got ahead of us right now. ... This is all new to you guys. The company went bankrupt a while ago, so we already knew this was going to happen."

Leonard was also adamant that the issue won't cause any distractions within the Clippers locker room this upcoming season. The team retooled its roster by adding players like Bradley Beal, John Collins and Brook Lopez.

Edited by Juan Paolo David